H8K 


■ 


mi 


HlilH 


mfmmSSm 
Rfef 

Hi 


■ 


■hi 


IB 


Columbia  (Hntoetsitp 

tntijeCftptfJtrttigork 

THE  LIBRARIES 


Scotch  and  Irish  Seeds 


In  American  Soil: 


THE  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH 

CHURCHES,  AND  THEIR  RELATIONS  TO  THE 

PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  AMERICA. 


BY    THE 

Rev.  J.  G.  CRAIGHEAD,  D.D. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PRESBYTERIAN  BOARD  OF  PUBLICATION, 
No.  1334  Chestnut  Stkeet. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1878,  by 

THE  TRUSTEES  OF  THE 

PRESBYTERIAN  BOARD  OF  PUBLICATION, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


.- 


Westcott  &  Thomson, 
Stereotypers  and  Electrotypers,  Philada. 


PREFACE. 


:  > 


Two  objects  have  been  before  my  mind  while 
preparing  this  volume: 

First,  to  show  the  indebtedness  of  the  Amer- 
ican   Presbyterian    Church    to    the    churches   of 
Scotland    and    Ireland    for    the    elements    which 
entered  into  its    original   constitution,  as  also  for 
its  subsequent   rapid  growth   and    influence.      In 
attempting   this  it  was  thought   to    be   more  im- 
portant  to   bring   clearly  to    view   the    principles 
and  character  of  the  ministers  and    members  of 
those  churches  who  came  to  this  country,  and  iden- 
tified   themselves   with    the  Presbyterian   Church, 
than    simply   to    point    out    their   number    or    the 
*^    periods  of    their  arrival.     Numbers  alone   might 
£     have  been  of  comparatively  little  value,    as  they 
might   have   proved    the    means   of   discord,    and 
^      consequently   a    source  of    weakness    rather    than 
j    of  strength.     But  if  the  character  of  a  people  is 
strong,  reliable,  courageous,  based  on  correct  prin- 


3 


3751 


4  rREFACE. 

ciples  and  built  up  into  symmetry  by  conscientious 
adherence  to  convictions  of  right  and  duty,  their 
numbers  may  be  small  and  yet  their  influence 
be  powerful  and  permanent. 

If,  then,  we  would  understand  how  valuable 
was  the  contribution  that  Scotland  and  Ireland 
made  to  the  Presbyterian  ism  of  this  country,  we 
must  consider  the  previous  religious  condition  of 
each,  and  the  influences,  favorable  or  otherwise, 
under  which  the  religious  life  of  the  people  was 
developed.  In  this  way  we  can  see  how  these 
future  colonists  were  educated  and  disciplined  in 
the  Old  World  for  the  great  work  God  in  his 
providence  had  for  them  to  do  in  the  New. 

The  second  object  was  to  bring  into  propel 
prominence  and  perspicuity  the  principles  of  re- 
ligious and  civil  freedom  for  which  the  Presby- 
terians of  Scotland  and  Ireland  so  long  battled, 
and  to  maintain  which  all  of  them  were  called 
to  endure  protracted  persecution,  and  many  thou- 
sands of  them  to  lay  down  their  lives.  As  the 
union  of  Church  and  State  in  those  countries  was 
so  close  and  dependent,  so  the  relation  between 
civil  and  religious  liberty  was  so  intimately  con- 
joined that  those  who  contended  for  the  one  neces- 
sarily promoted  the  other ;  and,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 


PREFACE.  O 

the  two  have  ever  existed  togethei  and  neither 
can  long  survive  without  the  other,  The  Pros- 
byterians,  therefore,  while  contending  even  unto 
blood  for  the  headship  of  Christ  over  his  Church, 
and  for  its  freedom  from  the  yoke  of  kingly  <>r 
priestly  authority,  were  naturally  and  necessarily 
the  friends  and  supporters  of  the  rights  of  the 
people  as  against  the  usurpations  and  exactions 
of  despotic  rulers. 

In  the  perusal  of  this  history  the  reader  will 
notice :  First,  that  the  views  of  these  Presbyte- 
rians were  more  accurate  respecting  religious  lib- 
erty than  were  those  of  the  Puritans  who  settled 
New  England.  Under  the  latter  a  law  was  en- 
acted in  Massachusetts  in  1631  uniting  the  Church 
and  State,  with  the  provision  that  no  one  should 
vote  unless  he  had  been  baptized  in  his  youth 
and  was  a  church  member.  Their  desire  was  to 
found  a  theocracy,  and  therefore  they  adopted 
measures  to  unite  the  religious  and  civil  power 
practically.  Our  Presbyterian  fathers,  on  the 
other  hand,  distinctly  discerned  the  separate  prov- 
ince or  sphere  of  each  ;  and  while  unwilling  to 
allow  the  Church  to  be  controlled  by  the  secular 
power,  they  neither  asked  its  help  nor  depended 
upon    it  for   authority   or   support.      From    their 


b  PREFACE. 

entrance  into  this  country,  as  may  be  seen  by 
their  conduct  in  Virginia  and  New  York,  they 
opposed  everything  that  looked  like  a  union  of 
Church  and  State  or  any  dependence  of  the 
Church  on  the  arm  of  civil  power. 

The  second  noticeable  thing  is,  that  in  the  long 
contests  between  these  monarchical  governments 
and  their  subjects,  the  natural  and  constant  allies 
of  despotism  were  the  Romish  and  Episcopal 
hierarchies.  These  were  ever  the  most  danger- 
ous as  well  as  the  most  inveterate  enemies  of  the 
nonconformists  when  they  were  resisting  tyrants. 
Presbyterians,  at  least,  had  most  to  dread  from 
Episcopal  prelates,  and  from  them  they  suffered 
most.  The  Episcopal  Church  was  more  frequently 
in  the  ascendant,  and  had  much  the  greater  in- 
fluence with  the  civil  rulers.  This  influence  it 
almost  invariably  used  to  oppress  all  outside  of 
its  own  communion.  If,  then,  in  our  endeavor 
to  present  a  truthful  picture  of  these  times  we 
have  occasionally  spoken  with  severity  of  the 
prelates  of  the  Established  Church  of  England 
and  Ireland,  it  is  because  the  facts  of  history 
have  compelled  the  statements. 

In  describing  the  development  of  these  funda- 
mental principles    in  these  countries  I  have    had 


PREFACE.  7 

no  wish  to  undervalue  the  part  taken  by  the  Puri- 
tans from  England,  the  Dutch  from  Holland, or  the 
Huguenots  from  France,  in  their  steadfast  main- 
tenance of  those  principles  both  in  Europe  and  in 
this  country.  While  the  writer  believes  that  the 
Scotch  and  the  Scotch-Irish  had  clearer  concep- 
tions of  the  relations  which  ought  to  exist  between 
the  Church  and  the  State,  and  were  consequently 
foremost  and  most  resolute  in  their  defence  of  the 
same,  he  freely  acknowledges  that  civil  and  relig- 
ious liberty  in  America  had  no  abler  champions 
than  were  the  emigrants  from  those  countries.  Of 
this  fact  he  would  have  made  more  frequent  men- 
tion had  it  come  within  the  scope  of  the  present 
volume,  and  had  not  this  congenial  subject  been 
treated  already  by  many  and  more  competent 
writers. 

It  is  greatly  to  be  desired  that  the  youth  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  of  this  country  should  famil- 
iarize themselves  with  the  history  of  the  perscu- 
tions  and  sufferings  endured  by  their  Scotch  and 
Scotch-Irish  ancestors,  and  with  the  character  and 
services  of  those  heroes  of  the  Church  who  main- 
tained with  such  fortitude  their  conscientious  views 
of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  and  who,  in  coming 
to  America,  brought  their  principles  with  them  and 


8  PREFACE. 

did  so  much  to  have  them  engrafted  into  our  re- 
publican institutions.  Such  an  acquaintance  with 
the  origin  and  defence  of  the  great  cardinal  prin- 
ciples of  the  polity  and  government  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  would  inevitably  lead  them  to  rev- 
erence the  memories  of  the  departed  worthies  of 
the  Church,  and  to  love  and  perpetuate  their 
simple  and  scriptural  faith  and  forms  of  wor- 
ship. 

It  is  impossible  to  state  with  any  accuracy  all 
the  sources  of  information  from  which  I  have  de- 
rived the  materials  for  this  volume.  For  those 
which  pertain  to  the  history  of  the  Scotch  and 
Irish  churches  I  am  indebted  of  necessity  to  the 
standard  histories  of  those  countries.  The  facts 
connected  with  the  emigration  from  those  lands, 
and  the  influence  of  the  colonists  upon  Church 
and  State  in  America,  have  been  gleaned  from  a 
large  number  of  volumes  and  pamphlets.  Not 
unfrequently  much  care  and  research  have  been 
requisite  to  discover  or  verify  a  single  incident 
or  event;  but  the  labor  has  been  one  of  love, 
and  rendered  from  a  desire  to  be  useful. 


CONTENTS. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH. 


CHAPTEE  I. 

From  the  Introduction  of  Christianity  to  the  Act 
of  Parliament,  1592,  Ratifying  the  General  Assem- 
bly of  Scotland. 

PAOB 

Characteristics  of  Scotch  Presbyterianisra — Its  three  cardi- 
nal principles  —  Introduction  of  Christianity  —  The  pope 
asserting  his  supremacy — Obstacles  to  the  Reformation — 
Defenders  of  the  gospel — Patrick  Hamilton — The  first  mar- 
tyr— Effects  of  his  death — Many  embrace  the  doctrines 
preached — Persecutions  by  Cardinal  Beaton — George  Wis- 
hart — His  preaching  and  martyrdom — Beaton's  retributive 
death — Warning  unheeded  by  his  successor — Death  of  Wal- 
ter Mill — The  first  Covenant  adopted  at  Edinburgh — Its  pro- 
visions— Conflict  between  the  queen  and  Reformers — John 
Knox — His  great  influence — Protestant  nobility  meet  at  Perth 
— Duplicity  of  the  queen — Reformers  increase — Knox  at  St. 
Andrews — Meeting  of  a  free  Parliament — Petition  of  Protes- 
tants— First  Confession  of  Fa  ith— Necessity  of  a  national 
ecclesiastical  organization — The  first  General  Assembly — 
Book  of  Discipline — Its  provisions — Two  objects  secured — 
Superintendents — Tulchan  bishops — Queen  Mary's  return 
to  Scotland — Efforts  to  restore  popery — Her  measures  re- 
sisted— Knox's  successful  opposition — The  Church  prosper- 
ous— Opposition  of  the  queen  and  regent  Morton — Andrew 
Melville  returns  to  Scotland — Chief  opponent  of  Morton — 
A  commission  reports  a  system  of  ecclesiastical  polity — 
Second  Book  of  Discipline — Its  provisions — Conflict  of  the 

9 


10  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Assembly  with  King  James  and  his  Parliament — Remon- 
strance presented  to  the  king  by  Melville — Black  Acts  of 
Parliament — Clergy  obliged  to  fly — Patriotism  and  good 
conduct  of  Presbyterians — Secures  more  favor  from  the 
king — His  eulogy  on  the  Church  of  Scotland — Parliament 
ratifies  the  Constitution  of  the  Church 19 

CHAPTEK  II. 

From  the  Charter  of  the  Church  to  the  Renewal 
of  the  National  Covenant. 

Bad  faith  of  James — Conspiracy  of  popish  earls — The  danger 
averted — Two  of  the  conspirators  excommunicated — Roman 
Catholic  earls;  their  proposed  recall — Melville  confronts  the 
king — Deceitful  conduct  of  the  king — Assaults  the  Church 
— King  claims  absolute  power — Resistance  by  Presbyterians 
— Ministers  of  Edinburgh  expelled — The  corrupt  Assembly  at 
Perth — Advisory  council  for  the  king — The  Church  repre- 
sented in  Parliament — Prelacy  triumphant — Three  ministers 
made  bishops — Aberdeen  Assembly  the  last  free  one — Cler- 
gy banished — Melville  summoned  to  London  and  banished 
— Bishops  appointed  permanent  moderators  of  Assembly — 
Their  civil  jurisdiction  restored — Court  of  High  Commission 
— The  king  visits  Scotland — New  Confession  of  Faith — Five 
Articles  of  Perth  ratified — Constitution  of  the  Church  sub- 
verted— Persecutions  by  Court  of  High  Commission — Min- 
isters banished — Congregations  left  without  ordinances — 
Death  of  King  James — Charles  I.  adopts  his  father's  policy 
— Great  revival  of  religion — Book  of  Canons  and  Liturgy 
prepared — Riot  at  Edinburgh  at  its  introduction — The  king- 
dom aroused — People  flock  to  Edinburgh — The  National 
Covenant  enthusiastically  renewed — The  Second  Reforma- 
tion in  Scotland 63 

CHAPTER  III. 
From  Subscribing  the  Covenant  to  the  Restoration 

of  Charles  II. 
Despair  of  prelates,  and  the  defeat  of  their  schemes — Depu- 
tations   sent   to   the  king — He  tries  to  negotiate  with   the 


CONTENTS  H 

PAOK 

Covenanters — Failure  of  Hamilton,  the  king*!  commissioner 
— Concessions  made — General  Assembly  at  Glasgow — Efforts 
of  Hamilton — The  Assembly  triumphs — The  whole  fabric  of 
prelacy  swept  away — Vital  principles  vindicated — King  en- 
raged, and  prepares  for  war — Preparations  of  Presbyterians 
— They  march  to  Dunse  Law — The  king  hesitates,  and  ac- 
cedes to  articles  of  peace — The  peace  a  brief  one — War  again 
determined  upon-  Covenanters  march  to  the  Tweed — Treaty 
of  Ripon — Petitions  to  Parliament  for  uniformity  of  worship 
in  the  two  kingdoms — Action  of  the  Assembly — The  Cove- 
nanters join  their  English  brethren — The  Solemn  League 
and  Covenant — The  Westminster  Assembly  of  Divines — Im- 
portance of  their  work — Difficulties — Uniformity  not  secured 
— The  General  Assembly  ratifies  the  Confession  of  Faith  of 
the  Westminster  divines — Presbyterian  system  long  unmo- 
lested      86. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

From  the  Restoration  of  Charles  II.  to  his  Death, 

in  1685. 

Restoration  of  Charles  II. — Xo  guarantees  exacted — A  coun- 
cil of  state  favors  prelacy — The  illegal  Parliament  of  1661 — 
Their  despotic  acts — Purpose  to  destroy  the  Church — Mar- 
quis of  Argyle  and  Guthrie  executed — The  king,  by  procla- 
mation, restores  prelacy — Four  bishops  consecrated — Only 
Episcopalians  allowed  to  preach  and  teach — Act  of  Glas- 
gow— Four  hundred  ministers  banished — Field-meetings — 
Bishop's  drag-net — Court  of  High  Commission  again  erect- 
ed—  Curate  spies  —  Persecution  —  James  Turner  and  his 
"lambs" — Cruelty  of  the  soldiers — The  rising  of  Pentland 
— Covenanters  dispersed — Death  of  Hugh  McKail — Soldiers 
instigated  to  cruelty  by  the  curates  and  Archbishop  Sharp — 
His  death — The  persecuted  on  the  defensive — Battle  of 
Drumclog — Dissensions — Battle  of  Bothwell  Bridge — Ter- 
rible cruelties — Deaths  of  Cameron,  Cargill  and  Hackson — 
The  Teat  Act — Proceedings  against  the  earl  of  Argyle — 
Further  persecutions — Resistance  of  the  persecuted — Their 
da  laration— The  Bloody  Act— Death  of  Charles  II 103 


12  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Fkom  the  Accession  of  James  VII.  to  the  Emigration 
of  Presbyterians  to  America. 

PAGE 

Accession  of  James  VII. — Proceedings  of  the  new  Parliament 
— The  king's  schemes  to  restore  popery — Attempt  of  Argyle 
— Capture  and  death — Presbyterians  persecuted  and  ban- 
ished— Parliament  will  not  yield  to  the  king — Passes  three 
acts  of  indulgence — Clergy  return  to  Scotland — Strict  Cove- 
nanters reject  the  king's  acts — Death  of  Renwick — Landing 
of  Prince  of  Orange — The  Revolution — Ineffectual  attempts 
to  introduce  Episcopacy  in  Scotland — The  system  a  nonde- 
script Church — Slavish  and  persecuting — Covenanters  refuse 
to  fellowship  prelacy — Meeting  of  Parliament — Abolishes 
the  prelatic  Church — Ratines  the  Confession  of  Faith  and 
establishes  the  Presbyterian  Church — Patronage  done  away 
— Meeting  of  the  General  Assembly — Desire  of  the  king 
that  all  Protestants  unite  in  same  church  government — Ori- 
gin of  moderate  party — The  Revolution  settlement  a  calam- 
ity— Connection  between  religious  and  civil  liberty — The 
principles  contended  for  in  Scotland — Dear  to  them — Brought 
to  America — Element  of  power  in  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  America 126 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH. 

CHAPTEE  VI. 

From  the  Introduction  of  the  Reformed  Religion  in 
Ireland  to  the  Great  Revival  of  1625. 

American  Presbyterian  Church  indebted  to  the  Irish — Gospel 
introduced  in  Ireland  in  second  century — Irish  Church  in- 
dependent until  twelfth  century — Then  subjected  to  pope — 
Remained  subject  three  hundred  years — Deplorable  condi- 
tion of  the  people — Henry  VIII.  asserts  supremacy — George 
Brown  made  archbishop  of  Dublin — Opposition  of  Romish 
clergy — Edward   VI. — Resistance    to    the    liturgy — English 


CONTENTS.  13 

PAGE 

ministers  unwilling  to  occupy  Irish  sees — Bishop  Bale — 
His  firmness — Queen  Mary — Elizabeth — Ireland  a  place  of 
shelter  for  Protestants — Distracted  state  of  country  unfa- 
vorable to  religion — Want  of  Reformed  ministers — Descrip- 
tion of  the  Irish  Church — Dublin  College  established — Its 
purpose — Slow  progress  of  the  Reformation — Accession  of 
James  I. — His  pacific  and  wise  measures — Province  of  Ul- 
ster— Colonizing  schemes — Prosperity  of  these  plantations — 
Confession  of  faith  for  the  Irish  Church — Its  liberal  charac- 
ter— Efficiency  of  Scotch  clergy — Price,  Hubbard,  Glenden- 
ning,  Blair  and  Hamilton — Their  reception  by  Bishop  Ech- 
lin — Revival  of  religion — Many  converts — Welsh,  Stewart, 
Dunbar  and  Livingston  come  over  from  Scotland — Liberal- 
ity of  Bishop  Knox — Labor  of  Scotch  clergy  greatly  blessed 
— Presbyterian  worship  and  discipline  maintained — Roman- 
ists and  Bishop  Echlin  oppose  the  revival — The  latter  perse- 
cute Blair  and  others — They  appeal  to  Archbishop  Usher — 
Restored — Again  suspended — Apply  in  vain  to  the  lord- 
deputy  of  Ireland 147 

CHAPTER  VII. 

From  the  Accession  of  Charles  I.  to  the  Irish  Re- 
bellion. 

Romanism  rather  than  the  Reformed  faith  encouraged — Some 
Protestants  think  of  emigrating  to  the  New  World — King 
needs  funds  for  his  Irish  army — Concessions  to  Romanists — 
Protest  of  Irish  prelates — Laud  and  Wentworth  favor  Roman 
ritual — Bramhall  and  Leslie  promoted — Bedell — Alterations 
in  Dublin  University — Convocation  of  the  clergy,  1634 — 
Adopt  the  Thirty-nine  Articles  of  the  English  Church — Peo- 
ple deceived — High  Commission  court  erected — Condition  of 
Presbyterians  deplorable — The  four  ministers  that  were  re- 
stored again  deposed — Death  of  Echlin — The  bigot  Leslie 
his  successor — Suspends  five  ministers — Sailing  of  the  Eagle- 
wing —  Returns  —  Wentworth's  persecutions — Many  clergy 
fly  to  Scotland — Remain  there — Discontent  in  Ulster  alarms 
Wentworth — The  Black  Oath — Cruel  imposition  of  it — 
Sufferings  of  the  Presbyterians — Henry  Stewart — Went- 
worth's   cruel    proceedings — Bishop     Adair — Deposed— Op- 


14  CONTEXTS. 

PAGE 

posed  by  Bishop  Bedell — Wentworth  created  an  earl — Raises 
an  Irish  army  to  suppress  the  people  of  Ulster — Opposition 
— Remonstrance  sent  to  the  king — Meeting  of  the  Long  Par- 
liament— Earl  of  Strafford  impeached  imprisoned  and  be- 
headed— Presbyterians  petition  Parliament — Their  requests 
granted — Change  in  administration — Two  Puritan  lords-jus- 
tices appointed — High  Commission  court  abolished — Peace 
in  Ireland 181 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

From  the  Irish  Insurrection  to  the  Death  of 
Charles  I. 
The  rebellion  incited  by  Romish  priests — Object  to  destroy 
Protestantism  —  Plot  discovered  —  Important  towns  saved 
from  capture — Places  of  refuge— Rebels  master  of  most  of 
Ulster — Their  cruelties — Universal  massacre — Famine  and 
pestilence — Sufferings  of  Protestant  clergy — Death  of  Bishop 
Bedell — As  many  Presbyterians  fled  to  Scotland,  they  suffered 
less  than  Episcopalians — Charles  sends  commissions  to  Irish 
Protestant  leaders — Lords-justices  furnish  arms — English 
and  Scotch  Parliaments  send  relief — Arrival  of  regiments — 
Severe  engagements — Insurrection  subdued — Re-establish- 
ment of  the  Presbyterian  Church — Ministers  and  people 
return  from  Scotland — Army  chaplains — Presbytery  revived 
— Congregations  gathered — Petition  to  the  Scotch  Assembly 
— Ministers  arrive  from  Scotland — The  Church  grows  rap- 
idly— Many  Episcopalians  join  the  Presbyterian  Church — 
Giving  evidence  of  repentance — Overruling  Providence — 
Peaceful  and  prosperous  state  of  the  Church — Ecclesiasti- 
cal reform  in  England — Westminster  Assembly  called — Com- 
missioners sent  to  Scotland — Solemn  League  and  Covenant — 
Taken  in  Ireland,  Scotland  and  England — Its  effects — Growth 
of  the  Church — Thirty  settled  ministers  in  1647. 

From  the  Death  of  Charles  to  the  Accession  of 
James  II. 
Ulster  Presbyterians  protest  against  his  murder — Assent,  under 
protest,  to  Cromwell's  government — His  judicious  measures 


CONTENTS.  15 

PAGE 

in  ireland — Baptist  and  Independent  ministers — Parliament 
favors  education  and  religion — Endowments  and  salaries — 
Engagement  oath — Presbyterian  clergy  opposed — Oath  en- 
forced— Sufferings  of  ministers — Council  of  Independents 
and  Presbyterians — A  public  debate — Change  of  Irish  com- 
missioners— Baptists  in  favor — Forcing  Presbyterians  to  take 
the  oath — Appeal  to  Fleetwood — Appear  before  the  council — 
Dismissed  with  favor — Cromwell  dissolves  Parliament — His 
accession  to  power  favorable  to  Presbyterians — Ministers 
allowed  to  pursue  their  calling — Danger  from  dissensions  in 
Church  of  Scotland — Did  not  extend  to  Ulster — Increase  of 
ministers — Presbytery  divided — Church  prosperous — Death 
of  Cromwell — Charles  II.  restored — His  efforts  to  restore  prel- 
acy— Bramhall  and  Leslie  restored — Measures  employed  to 
crush  out  Presbyterianism — Proclamation  against  presby- 
tery— Unavailing  appeal  to  the  Irish  privy-council — Jeremy 
Taylor's  intolerant  spirit — Ejects  thirty-six  ministers  from 
their  churches — Their  privations — Meeting  of  the  Irish  Par- 
liament— Solemn  League  and  Covenant  burned — Duke  of 
Ormond's  leniency — Ministers  for  a  time  not  molested — 
Blood's  plot — Conspirators  apprehended — Presbyterians  not 
implicated — Leniency  shown  them — Ministers  return  from 
Scotland — Growth  of  the  Church — Presbyteries  again  or- 
ganized— Lord  Robart's  administration — Jealousy  of  Epis- 
copal bishops  and  clergy — Boyle  bishop  of  Down — Sir  Ar- 
thur Forbes  shields  Presbyterians  from  persecution — Revi- 
val of  religious  worship — Regium  Donum — Schools  and  a 
theological  seminary  established — Insurrection  in  Scotland — 
Injurious  to  Ulster  Presbyterians — Ormond  presses  the  oath 
of  supremacy — Persecution — The  prelates  active  persecutors 
—The  condition  of  Presbyterians  such  they  think  of  remov- 
ing  to  America. 

From  James  II.  to  Emigration  of  Presbyterians  to 
America,  1725. 

James  II.'s  policy  favors  Romanists — Tyrconnel  lord-deputy — 
Papists  restored  to  power — Protestants  depressed — Act  of 
Toleration — Presbyterians  enjoy  a  brief  freedom — Calm  fol- 
lowed by  a  storm — Alarm  in  Ulster — Council  appointed — 
Tyrconnel's  army  seizes  the  principal  towns — Gates  of  Derry 


16  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

and  Enniskillen  shut — The  former  a  great  barrier  to  James' 
army — Landing  of  Prince  of  Orange  in  England — Promises 
aid  to  Protestants  in  Ireland — Numerous  battles — Siege  of 
Derry — City  relieved — Defence  of  Enniskillen — Retreat  of 
the  Irish  army — King  William  leads  his  army — Battle  of 
Boyne — Total  defeat  of  Irish  army — Different  conduct  of 
Episcopal  and  Presbyterian  clergy — The  king  favors  Pres- 
byterians—  Presbyterianism  restored  in  Ulster  —  Presby- 
teries and  synods  again  held — Losses  by  the  war — Ulster 
Presbyterians  hospitably  received  in  Scotland — Jealousy  of 
Irish  bishops — King  William  secures  the  abolition  of  the 
oath  of  supremacy — Its  effects — Meeting  of  the  Irish  Par- 
liament— Act  of  Toleration  defeated — Controversy  of  Bishop 
King  with  Boyse  and  Craighead — Results — Increased  hos- 
tility of  Episcopalians — Oppressive  measures — Oath  of  ab- 
juration— Sacramental  test — Its  effects — Futile  efforts  to  ob- 
tain legal  toleration — Half  century  of  civil  disabilities — 
Brief  periods  of  relief — Still  the  Presbyterian  Church  grows 
— Two  synods  formed,  and  become  a  delegated  body — An  edu- 
cated ministry — Missions — Church  extended — Presbyterians 
excluded  from  office — Desire  to  emigrate  to  America — Causes 
which  led  to  a  large  emigration  of  Ulster  Presbyterians  to 
America 199 


EMIGRATION  OF  SCOTCH  AND  SCOTCH- 
IRISH. 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Emigration  to  America. 

Character  of  the  Scotch  emigrants — Causes  which  led  to  their 
emigration  —  The  colonists  in  South  Carolina  —  Virginia, 
Maryland  and  Delaware — North  Carolina — Their  sympathy 
for  the  Presbyterian  Church — Scotch-Irish  emigration — 
Causes — Religious  bigotry,  commercial  jealousy  and  oppres- 
sive landlords — Emigration  so  great  as  to  alarm  the  Irish 
magistrates — Reasons  assigned  by  the  magistrates  for  the 
emigration — Ports  of  entry — New  England  Presbyterians — 


CONTENTS.  17 

PA«K 

Largest  number  came  to  Philadelphia — States  in  which  they 
principally  settled — Character  of  the  colonists — Protestants 
and  Presbyterians — Rapid  growth  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
— The  emigrants  retain  their  modes  of  worship  and  system 
of  church  government — The  Catechism — Lord's  Supper,  how 
administered — Influence  of  this  emigration  on  the  Presby- 
terian Church  in  America 265 


FOREIGN  MINISTERS   OF  THE  PRESBYTE- 
RIAN CHURCH  IN  AMERICA. 

CHAPTER  X. 

Foreign  Ministers  in  America. 

Larger  number  from  Ireland — Difficulty  to  determine  the  na- 
tionality of  some  ministers — Francis  Makemie  the  first  min- 
ister— MacNish  and  Hampton  his  associates — Other  clergy- 
men from  1685  to  1715 — William  Tennent  and  his  sons — 
Robert  Cross — James  Macgregor — Samuel  Blair — Alexan- 
der Craighead — Francis  Alison — John  Elder — John  Craig — 
Charles  Beatty — Samuel  Finley — Robert  Smith — Other  min- 
isters previous  to  1758 — At  union  of  synods  nearly  one-half 
of  the  clergy  foreign-born — Formative  period  of  the  Church 
— Great  indebtedness  of  the  American  Presbyterian  Church 
to  the  Scotch  and  Irish  churches 286 


EARLY  EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS. 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Presbyterians  and  Education. 

Presbyterians  patrons  of  learning — Public  schools  in  Scotland 
— Early  provision  for  education  in  America — Action  of  the 
synod  of  the  Carolinas — Numerous  classical  schools  and 
academies — The  Log  College — Synod's  school  at  New  Lon- 
don— Fagg's  Manor  school — Nottingham  academy — Classi- 
cal academy  at  Pcqua — Upper  Buffalo  academy — Schools  at 
2 


18  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Elizabethtown,  Pencader,  Baskinridge,  Mendham  and  Phil- 
adelphia— Schools  in  Virginia — At  Guilford,  Thyatira,  Wil- 
mington, Sugar  Creek,  Rocky  Hill,  Poplar  Tent,  Bethany, 
and  Liberty  Hall  academy,  North  Carolina — Schools  in 
Tennessee — Principal  object  of  these  to  educate  ministers — 
Higher  educational  institutions — College  of  New  Jersey — 
Jefferson,  Dickinson,  Hampden-Sidney  and  Washington  Col- 
leges   299 


PATRIOTISM  OF  PRESBYTERIANS. 
CHAPTER  XII. 

Essential  principles  of  liberty — The  creed  of  republics — The 
Scotch  and  Irish  exiles  foes  to  arbitrary  power — Reasons 
why  the  latter  distrusted  England — Had  governed  Ireland 
for  her  own  selfish  ends — Would  do  the  same  with  her  Amer- 
ican colonies — Friends  of  civil  and  religious  freedom — Dread 
of  Episcopal  supremacy — Efforts  to  establish  Episcopacy — 
Religious  freedom  sought — Civil  and  religious  liberty  in- 
separable— Presbyterians  first  to  combine  in  resistance — Tes- 
timony of  Mr.  Adolphus — Union  with  New  England  against 
the  Stamp  law — Testimony  of  Messrs.  Reed  and  Galloway — 
Action  of  Synod  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia — North  Car- 
olina Presbyterians  and  Mecklenburg  Declaration — Presbyte- 
rians of  Western  Pennsylvania — Memorial  from  Cumberland 
county,  Pa. — Action  of  Hanover  presbytery,  Virginia — 
Presbyterian  ministers  active  and  earnest  patriots — Efficient 
as  statesmen,  soldiers,  chaplains,  etc. — Dr.  Witherspoon's  ser- 
vices and  other  ministry — Patriotism  of  elders  and  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church — Many  of  them  officers — Worthy 
of  their  lineage — Presbyterians  in  the  civil  service — Intro- 
duced elements  of  their  system  into  the  government — Proper 
founders  of  new  States — Not  anarchists — Favored  constitu- 
tional freedom — Church  and  State  separate — Prized  their 
principles — Ready  to  defend  them  at  every  sacrifice 314 


SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS 

I1ST  AMERICAN  SOIL. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH. 


CHAPTER   I, 


From  the  Introduction  of  Christianity  to 
the  Establishment  of  the  Great  Charter 
of  the  Church. 

The  Scotch  was  one  of  the  most  important  ele- 
ments which  entered  into  the  composition  of  the 
early  Presbyterian  churches  of  America.  It  pos- 
sessed characteristics  which  were  peculiar  to  itself, 
and  which  left  a  deep  impress  upon  the  new  com- 
munities, of  which  it  formed  no  inconsiderable 
part.  Its  piety  was  stern  and  uncompromising, 
for  it  had  learned,  through  centuries  of  persecu- 
tion, to  dread  both  papal  and  prelatic  error  and 
usurpation.  It  had  been  forced  to  contend,  in  a 
hand-to-hand  conflict,  with  these  alternately  domi- 
nant powers  for  the  maintenance  of  the  distinctive 
principles  of  its  faith  and  order.  Out  of  this  pro- 
tracted struggle  it  finally  emerged  with  the  three 
cardinal  principles  inscribed  on  its  banner  of  loyalty 

19 


20  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

to  Christ  as  the  true  and  only  Head  of  the  Church, 
the  parity  of  the  clergy,  and  the  right  of  every 
congregation  to  a  voice  in  the  election  of  its 
officers.  Of  the  truth  and  importance  of  these 
fundamental  principles  the  Scottish  Christians 
were  so  fully  and  firmly  convinced  that  when 
necessity  was  laid  upon  them  they  did  not  shrink 
from  sufferings,  and  even  death  itself,  rather  than 
renounce  or  betray  their  faith. 

It  is  impossible  now  to  determine  when  Christi- 
anity was  first  introduced  into  Scotland.  The  best 
authorities  favor  the  belief  that  it  was  not  later 
than  the  close  of  the  second  century,  and  that  the 
first  Christian  ministers  were  men  of  singularly 
pure  and  holy  lives.  They  mingled  freely  with 
the  people,  instructed  them  in  the  doctrines  of 
God's  word,  inculcated  the  duties  of  morality  and 
virtue,  endeavored  to  check  all  forms  of  vice  and 
to  soften  the  rough  manners  which  then  prevailed. 

This  condition  of  things,  however,  was  not  per- 
mitted to  continue,  even  in  a  country  so  insulated 
as  Scotland.  The  Church  of  Rome,  which  at  an 
early  period  corrupted  the  simplicity  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion  in  the  other  countries  of  Europe,  at 
length  cast  its  baneful  influence  over  the  Scotch 
Church.  There  is  reason  to  believe  that  as  early 
as  the  fifth  century  the  pope  had  taken  measures 
to  regulate  the  policy  of  the  Scottish  Church,  and 
there  is  evidence  that  the  inhabitants  from  this 
date  acknowledged  him  as  the  head  of  the  Church. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.       21 

Popery,  with  its  false  doctrine,  its  superstitious 
rites  and  its  persecuting  spirit,  with  a  wealthy  and 
powerful  hierarchy  that  had  corrupted  the  whole 
spirit  of  religion,  and  with  the  people  sunk  in  igno- 
rance and  debased  by  slavery,  presented  no  ordi- 
nary difficulties  to  be  surmounted  by  the  Refor- 
mation, which  began  in  Scotland  in  the  sixteenth 
century.  Germany  and  England  had  preceded  it 
in  a  successful  effort  to  free  themselves  from  the 
oppression  of  the  papal  yoke.  But  when  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Reformers  were  at  length  made  known 
in  Scotland,  there  were  not  wanting  noble-minded 
men,  who  proved  valiant  defenders  of  the  fun- 
damental truths  of  the  gospel,  and  who,  in  the 
contest  with  a  corrupt  and  persecuting  Church, 
were  honored  with  the  glorious  crown  of  mar- 
tyrdom. 

Of  these  Patrick  Hamilton,  abbot  of  Feme,  was 
the  first  sufferer.  Descended  from  an  illustrious 
family  and  of  noble  blood,  he  had  before  him  all 
the  prospects  of  church  preferment  which  could 
excite  the  ambition  of  an  aspiring  youth.  He 
prosecuted  his  studies  at  St.  Andrews,  and  subse- 
quently visited  Wittenberg  and  Marbourg,  in  Ger- 
many. There  he  held  intercourse  with  Luther, 
Melanchthon  and  other  German  Reformers,  and  be- 
came convinced  of  the  truth  of  their  opinions  and 
of  the  errors  of  the  Church  to  whose  ministry  he 
had  been  destined  by  his  parents.  With  the  con- 
viction that  the  Reformed  doctrines  were  in  accord- 


22  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

ance  with  the  word  of  God,  he  felt  it  to  be  his 
duty  to  impart  to  his  countrymen  the  knowledge 
he  had  acquired.  Returning  from  the  Continent 
in  1527,  he  entered  with  great  zeal  upon  the  duties 
of  his  ministry.  He  began  at  once  to  expose  and 
to  reprove  the  superstitious  practices  of  the  Rom- 
ish Church  in  Scotland,  and  to  preach  the  doctrine 
of  free  and  complete  justification  by  faith  in  Christ 
alone.  His  ministry  drew  multitudes  around  him, 
impressed  by  the  power  of  his  fervid  appeals,  while 
many  embraced  the  truth  to  the  saving  of  their 
souls.  The  message  was  not  only  new  to  them, 
but  the  earnestness  and  spirituality  of  the  preacher 
contrasted  powerfully  with  the  carelessness  and 
the  vices  of  the  mass  of  the  priesthood. 

Alarmed  at  the  great  success  of  the  abbot's 
preaching,  the  priests  determined  to  silence  him, 
if  possible,  by  falsely  accusing  him  of  teaching 
heresy.  Accordingly,  the  charge  of  "Lutheran- 
ism"  was  preferred  against  him  and  the  entire 
enginery  of  their  Church  employed  for  his  over- 
throw. Under  pretence  that  the  archbishop  wished 
to  consult  him,  Hamilton  was  enticed  to  visit  St. 
Andrews,  where  Alexander  Campbell,  a  Dominican 
friar,  was  appointed  to  insinuate  himself  into  his 
confidence  and  to  learn  the  real  nature  of  the 
opinions  which  he  entertained.  These  were  im- 
mediately communicated  to  other  prelates  with 
every  aggravation  which  malice  could  suggest.  As 
soon  as  a  tribunal  of  the  clergy  could  be  assembled 


HISTORY   OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.        23 

they  pronounced  his  views  heretical ;  and  having 
ineffectually  exhorted  him  to  abandon  them,  they 
condemned  him  to  be  burnt  at  the  stake.  With  a 
cruelty  having  scarcely  a  parallel,  on  the  same 
day  upon  which  he  had  been  condemned  he  was 
led  forth  to  execution,  and  with  true  Christian 
heroism  he  suffered  death  before  the  gate  of  St. 
Salvator's  College. 

The  effects  produced  by  this  martyr's  death  were 
very  different  from  those  which  his  persecutors  de- 
sired. The  terrible  retribution  that  befell  Camp- 
bell for  his  treachery  and  hypocrisy  deepened 
greatly  the  impression  made  upon  the  people  by 
the  intrepid  conduct  of  Hamilton  as  he  was 
fastened  to  the  stake  and  while  the  flames  were 
kindling  around  him.  Calling  to  his  betrayer, 
he  said,  "O  thou  most  iniquitous  of  men!  who 
condemnest  those  things  which  thou  knowest,  and 
didst  a  few  days  before  confess,  to  be  true,*  I  sum- 
mon thee  to  the  tribunal  of  God !"  These  words 
never  ceased  to  ring  in  the  ears  of  the  perfidious 
man,  and  he  died  a  raving  maniac.  Fearing  the 
influence  upon  the  people  of  the  severe  and  unjust 
execution  of  Hamilton,  the  prelates  secured  the 
subscription  of  those  in  authority  as  a  sanction  of 
the  sentence.  But  all  was  in  vain.  The  heart  of 
the  Scottish  nation  was  deeply  stirred.  Men  be- 
gan to  inquire  as  to  the  nature  of  the  crime  for 

*  In  his  conference  with  Hamilton  he  iad  acknowledged  the 
truth  of  the  Reformed  doctrines. 


24  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

which  such  punishment  had  been  inflicted  upon  so 
noble  a  man,  and  they  were  led  by  a  consideration 
of  the  doctrines  fully  to  embrace  them.  Not  a  few 
persons  began  to  question  many  things  which  they 
had  never  before  doubted.  Inquiry  and  discussion 
could  not  be  excluded  even  from  the  University 
of  St.  Andrews,  and  impressions  then  made  were 
never  obliterated.  Several  of  the  friars  began  to 
hold  and  to  preach  doctrines  savoring  strongly  of 
the  Reformation,  nor  did  they  hesitate  to  expose 
the  licentious  and  ungodly  lives  of  the  bishops 
and  of  the  clergy. 

All  this  very  naturally  alarmed  and  irritated 
Archbishop  Beaton  and  his  satellites,  and  they 
again  resolved  to  try  the  effect  of  persecution  to 
silence  all  opposers.  A  servant  of  the  archbishop 
sagaciously  advised  him  that  if  he  burned  any 
more  to  burn  them  in  cellars ;  "  for  the  smoke," 
said  he,  "  of  Mr.  Patrick  Hamilton  hath  infected 
as  many  as  it  blew  upon."  This  advice,  however, 
was  not  heeded.  Other  victims  were  imprisoned, 
and  perished  at  the  stake  exhibiting  a  Christian 
heroism  that  scorned  the  flames.  The  mistaken 
and  wicked  policy  of  the  prelates  multiplied  rather 
than  repressed  the  number  of  those  who  adhered 
to  the  reform.  Their  corruption  as  well  as  their 
violence  excited  disgust  and  opposition.  The 
vices  of  the  clergy  were  not  only  a  scandal  to 
religion,  but  an  outrage  on  common  decency. 
Even    the   bishops  were   not  ashamed  to   confess 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.        25 

theii    ignorance    of   the    Bible,*   save  what   they 
had   learned  from  their  missals. 

These  persecutions  under  Archbishop  Beaton 
were  mainly  instigated  by  his  nephew,  David 
Beaton,  who,  after  his  uncle's  death,  in  1539,  suc- 
ceeded him  in  the  office,  and  at  the  request  of 
the  king  of  France  was  raised  by  the  pope  to 
the  rank  of  a  cardinal.  He  was  a  man  of  talents, 
of  unbounded  ambition  and  of  a  cruel  disposition. 
No  sooner  had  he  attained  to  his  office  than  he 
began  to  employ  the  most  rigorous  measures  to 
exterminate  the  Reformers  and  their  doctrines. 
The  better  to  accomplish  his  purpose,  he  en- 
deavored in  every  way  to  ingratiate  himself  with 
King  James  V.  and  to  secure  for  his  favorites 
stations  of  dignity  and  power.  And  so  far  had 
he  succeeded  in  his  plans  that  at  the  death  of  the 
king,  in  1542,  it  was  found  that  he  had  already 
prepared  and  presented  for  his  approval  a  list  of 
some  hundreds  of  persons  of  various  ranks — not  a 
few  of  them  nobles  and  barons — who  were  sus- 
pected of  heresy,  and  the  confiscation  of  whose 
estates  was  urged  as  the  means  of  replenishing 
the  king's  coifers. 

Defeated  in  this  scheme  by  the  king's  death  and 
by  the  appointment  of  the  earl  of  Arran  as  regent, 
the  baffled  cardinal  only  thirsted  the  more  for 
vengeance  upon  the  Reformers.  An  act  of  Parlia- 
ment declaring  it  lawful  for  all  persons  to  read 
*  Spottiswood,  p.  66. 


26  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

the  Scriptures  in  their  native  language,  and  by 
which  thousands  of  copies  of  the  sacred  volume 
were  brought  into  circulation,  called  forth  his 
bitter  hostility.  He  at  once  bent  all  his  ener- 
gies to  acquire  an  ascendency  over  the  weak  and 
fickle  regent,  who  was  known  to  be  favorable 
to  the  Reformed  religion.  With  the  aid  of  two 
other  able  and  designing  men,  he  succeeded  only 
too  well  in  his  purpose,  and  the  wily  cardinal 
soon  had  all  the  authority  he  wished  to  imprison 
and  put  to  death  those  suspected  of  sympathy  with 
the  Reformed  faith.  Like  a  chafed  tiger  thirsting 
for  blood,  he  entered  at  once  upon  his  murderous 
work.  With  barbarous  cruelty  he  put  five  men 
and  one  woman  to  death  at  Perth.  In  company 
with  the  regent,  to  give  the  appearance  of  his 
sanction  to  the  crimes,  he  made  a  bloody  circuit 
through  the  kingdom,  inflicting  fines  upon  some, 
imprisoning  others,  and  persecuting  not  a  few 
unto  death. 

His  most  distinguished  victim  was  the  gentle, 
learned  and  pious  George  Wishart.  Having  been 
banished  by  the  bishop  of  Brechin,  Wishart  re- 
sided for  some  years  at  the  University  of  Cam- 
bridge. Returning  from  England  in  the  year  1544, 
he  commenced  to  preach  the  doctrines  of  the  evan- 
gelical faith,  and  with  such  persuasive  eloquence 
that  he  made  a  profound  impression  upon  his  large 
audiences.  This  was  an  unpardonable  offence  in 
the   estimation   of  Beaton.     Such   a  bold  heretic 


HISTORY   OF  Till-:  SCOTCH   CHURCH.        27 

could  not  be  permitted  to  live  in  peace.  Hunted 
from  place  to  place  as  it"  he  were  a  wild  beast,  he 
was  finally  betrayed  into  the  hands  of  his  perse- 
cutor by  the  earl  of  Both  well.  The  cardinal  sum- 
moned his  prelatical  council,  and  with  much  osten- 
tation proceeded  to  the  trial  and  condemnation  of 
his  v:«tim.  After  a  mock  trial,  which  was  but  a 
series  of  insults,  Wishart  was  sentenced  to  be 
burned  on  the  following  day  as  a  heretic.  The 
martyi  met  death  with  fortitude  and  holy  bold- 
ness, forgiving  his  enemies  and  persecutors;  but 
before  he  died  he  turned  toward  the  cardinal, 
who  was  witnessing  the  execution  from  a  window 
of  the  tower,  and  said,  "  He  who  in  such  state 
from  that  high  place  feedeth  his  eyes  with  my 
torments  within  a  few  days  shall  be  hanged  out 
at  the  same  window,  to  be  seen  with  as  much 
ignominy  as  he  now  leaneth  there  in  pride." 
Only  a  few  months  passed  before  this  prediction 
was  fulfilled.  Thus  a  death  which  seemed  at  the 
time  the  triumph  of  the  cardinal's  power  proved  to 
be  the  knell  summoning  him  to  judgment.  John 
Leslie,  a  brother  of  the  earl  of  Rothes,  headed  a 
conspiracy,  which  surprised  Beaton  in  the  castle  of 
St.  Andrews  and  slew  him  in  his  own  bed-cham- 
ber while  pleading  for  mercy  and  crying,  "  I  am  a 
priest !  I  am  a  priest  Iw  and  without  one  word  of  re- 
pentance or  prayer.  And  to  allay  a  tumult  caused 
by  the  attendants  of  the  castle,  and  to  assure  the 
populace  of  his  death,  the  cardinal's  dead  body  was 


28  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH   SEEDS. 

exposed  at  the  very  window  from  which  he  had 
witnessed  Wishart's  execution.  So  perished  David 
Beaton,  one  of  the  most  unscrupulous,  treacherous, 
licentious  and  cruel  prelates  that  ever  cursed  any 
country. 

Though  the  destruction  of  this  bold,  bad  man 
was  regarded  by  a  large  part  of  the  community  as 
necessary  in  order  to  preserve  civil  and  religious 
liberty,  yet  upon  no  Christian  principle  could  such 
an  act  be  justified.  Its  perpetrators  were  guilty 
of  an  infringement  of  the  laws  of  the  kingdom. 
But  convinced  as  they  were  that  the  illegality  of 
"Wishart's  sentence  had  converted  his  death  into 
murder,  and  that  the  civil  power  was  unable  or 
unwilling  to  punish  the  crime,  they  believed  that 
they  were  doing  God's  service  and  performing  a 
patriotic  deed  in  ridding  their  country  of  one 
of  its  worst  enemies. 

This  misjudged  act  was  calculated  to  keep  alive 
the  fierce  spirit  of  the  age,  and  to  impede  the 
progress  of  the  cause  it  was  intended  to  promote. 
While  it  was  a  warning  to  the  persecutors  of 
the  Reformers,  it  alienated  many  good  men, 
who  were  shocked  at  the  illegal  manner  and  the 
circumstances  of  the  cardinal's  death.  The  warn- 
ing, however,  was  disregarded  by  his  successor, 
John  Hamilton,  who,  when  installed  in  office, 
adopted  Beaton's  policy.  Unable  to  wreak  his 
vengeance  upon  the  more  prominent  preachers  of 
the  Reformed  faith,  he  seized  an  old  priest  of  four- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.       29 

score  years,  Walter  Mill,  who  had  been  accused  of 
heresy  in  the  days  of  his  predecessor,  but  at  the 
time  had  escaped.  Being  discovered  by  one  of  the 
archbishop's  spies,  he  was  apprehended,  brought  to 
trial,  and  burnt  at  the  stake.  So  great  was  the 
compassion  felt  for  this  venerable  man,  and  such 
the  horror  awakened  by  this  great  outrage,  that  the 
archbishop  was  compelled  to  employ  one  of  his 
own  domestics,  a  dissolute  fellow,  as  the  execu- 
tioner. As  he  expired  in  the  flames  the  aged 
sufferer  uttered  these  prophetic  words :  "  I  trust 
in  God  I  shall  be  the  last  that  shall  suffer  death 
in  Scotland  for  this  cause."  And  he  was  the  last 
victim  the  archbishop  was  permitted  to  sacrifice. 
"  His  death,"  says  Spottiswood,  "  was  the  death 
of  popery  in  the  realm." 

In  the  mean  time  events  rapidly  culminated. 
The  lords  and  chief  gentry  who  were  devoted  to 
Protestantism  resolved  to  meet  at  Edinburgh,  and 
there  determine  what  was  best  to  be  done  in  the 
present  crisis.  On  assembling  they  resolved  to 
stand  steadfast  in  the  defence  of  the  Reformed 
religion,  and  entered  into  a  common  bond  or 
covenant  for  the  support  of  each  other  and  to 
maintain  the  gospel.  This  league  was  formed 
December  3,  1557,  and  was  subscribed  by  the 
earls  of  Argyle,  Glencairn  and  Morton,  and  by 
a  great  number  of  other  distinguished  men  among 
the  barons  and  influential  country  gentlemen. 

This  is  truly  a  remarkable  document,  especially 


30  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

when  we  consider  the  times  and  circumstances  in 
which  it  was  drawn  up.  The  demands  made  in 
it  upon  the  queen-regent  were  few  and  moderate, 
showing  both  their  loyalty  and  their  desire  to 
avoid  all  conflict  with  the  civil  power.  The  sub- 
scribers insisted,  however,  that  the  curates  and 
pastors  should  discard  the  use  of  Latin  in  their 
services  and  perform  them  in  the  English  lan- 
guage, which  the  people  understood,  and  they 
promised  to  apply  their  "  whole  power,  substance 
and  their  very  lives,"  to  maintain  "  faithful  min- 
isters who  would  purely  and  truly  minister  Christ's 
evangel  and  sacraments  to  his  people."  Subse- 
quently, they  claimed  that  the  election  of  minis- 
ters should  be  made  by  the  people,  according  to 
the  custom  of  the  primitive  Church,  and  that  great 
diligence  should  be  exercised  by  those  who  pre- 
sided at  such  elections,  so  that  men  of  unholy 
lives  or  holding  erroneous  doctrines  should  not 
be  retained  in  the  sacred  office.  It  was  also  after- 
ward provided  by  act  of  council  that  "it  should 
be  lawful  for  every  one  that  could  read,  to  use  the 
English  version  of  the  Bible  until  the  prelates 
should  publish  a  more  correct  one."  Continued 
and  strenuous  efforts  also  were  made  by  the  no- 
bility and  gentry  to  suppress  all  superstitious  rites 
and  practices — including  the  mass — which  seek  "to 
destroy  the  evangel  of  Christ  and  his  congrega- 
tion." 

The  time  of  conflict  now  drew  nigh  when  these 


HISTORY  OF  THE  scotch  CHURCH.       31 

principles  would  he  subjected  to  the  severest  test 
in  the  persons  of  their  adherents.  The  queen,  un- 
der the  influence  of  her  brothers,  the  princes  of  the 
French  house  of  Lorraine,  was  to  be  used  as  the  in- 
strument for  the  suppression  of  the  Reformation,  not 
only  in  Scotland,  but  throughout  Europe.  As  Mary 
was  also  the  nearest  heir  to  the  English  crown,  it 
was  thought  that  the  best  method  to  secure  their 
design  would  be  first  to  suppress  the  Reformation 
and  establish  the  French  and  papal  powers  in  her 
realm,  and  from  thence  assail  England.  In  order 
to  accomplish  this,  it  was  necessary  that  the  crown- 
matrimonial  of  Scotland  should  be  secured  to 
Mary's  husband,  the  son  of  the  king  of  France  and 
heir  to  the  throne.  The  queen  employed  every  arti- 
fice in  her  power  to  induce  the  Protestant  nobility 
to  consent  to  recognize  her  husband  Francis  and 
herself  as  king  and  queen  of  Scotland.  By  her  sol- 
emn promise  that  she  would  "protect  their  preach- 
ers and  themselves  from  the  malice  and  hatred  of 
the  bishops  and  promote  the  reformation  of  relig- 
ion," she  succeeded  only  too  well  in  her  scheme. 

But  the  mask  she  wore  was  thrown  aside  so 
soon  as  she  had  gained  her  purpose.  At  once  she 
adopted  measures  to  banish  or  silence  the  Protes- 
tant ministers.  Though  overawed  in  her  plans 
for  a  time  by  the  resolute  attitude  of  the  nobility, 
she  only  awaited  a  more  favorable  opportunity  to 
renew  the  attempt.  Four  of  the  preachers  of  the 
Reformed    doctrines,   distinguished    for    their   elo- 


32  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

quence  and  boldness,  were  summoned  to  appeal 
before  the  court  at  Stirling,  May  10,  1558,  tc 
stand  trial  for  "usurping  the  ministerial  office  and 
exciting  seditions  and  tumults  among  the  people." 

At  this  critical  period  the  Protestant  cause  re- 
ceived a  most  important  accession  of  strength  in 
the  person  of  John  Knox,  who  had  returned  from 
the  Continent  at  the  earnest  entreaty  of  the  Scotch 
nobility,  they  promising  to  jeopardize  their  lives 
in  the  cause  of  true  religion.  His  arrival  at  this 
opportune  moment  produced  consternation  in  the 
hearts  of  the  prelates.  •  Already  they  had  felt  the 
keenness  of  his  blade,  and  their  corrupt  system 
still  reeled  under  the  terrible  blows  he  had  dealt 
it.  Instead  of  attacking  the  outposts,  Knox  had 
turned  his  heavy  artillery  on  the  very  citadel  of  the 
enemy,  boldly  maintaining  that  the  papal  Church 
of  Rome  was  Antichrist.  Disdaining  all  compro- 
mises with  the  apostate  Church,  rejecting  every- 
thing in  doctrine  and  government  which  had  no 
higher  authority  than  was  derived  from  its  teach- 
ing or  practice,  his  final  and  sole  appeal  was  to 
the  word  of  God.  From  Knox's  appearance  on 
the  scene  we  may  date  the  real  beginning  of  the 
Reformation  in  Scotland. 

After  the  death  of  Wishart,  Knox  had  gone  to 
England,  and  finally  to  the  Continent,  where  he 
found  a  welcome  refuge  in  the  little  republic  of 
Geneva.  Here  he  formed  an  intimacy  with  Cal- 
vin, a  kindred   spirit  to  his  own,  and   in   friendly 


HISTORY  OF   THE  scon 'II   CHURCH. 

conference  and  Scripture  study  matured  his  views 
of  Church  reform.  Here,  too,  he  found  a  system 
of  order  and  discipline  combined  with  pure  doc- 
trine which  excited  his  greatest  admiration.  The 
more  he  studied  it,  the  more  enthusiastic  was  his 
approval  of  it,  and  from  this  period  he  became 
convinced  that  the  Presbyterian  form  of  church 
government  was  the  one  best  adapted  to  his  own 
country.  And  all  the  lessons  which  he  learned 
by  observation  and  through  intercourse  with  the 
Genevan  Reformers  were  garnered  up  for  the  ser- 
vice of  the  Church  in  his  native  land. 

It  was  but  the  week  previous  to  the  trial  of  the 
ministers  at  Stirling  that  Knox  landed  at  Leith. 
From  the  hour  of  his  arrival  he  became  the  rul- 
ing spirit  in  the  councils  of  the  Lords  of  the  Con- 
gregation. His  presence  encouraged  his  friends, 
and  his  words  inspired  them  with  his  own  zeal 
and  firmness.  Their  antagonists  could  scarcely 
have  been  more  disconcerted  by  the  news  of  ar? 
invading  army;  for,  while  the  papal  fraternity 
were  engaged  in  their  deliberations  in  the  mon- 
astery of  Grayfriars,  one  of  their  number  rushed 
in  pale  with  terror,  exclaiming  in  broken  words, 
"John  Knox!  John  Knox  is  come !  he  is  come! 
He  slept  last  night  at  Edinburgh !"  They  ceased 
to  deliberate,  broke  up  the  council,  and  dispersed 
in  confusion. 

It  was  in  vain  that  the  queen-regent  proclaim- 
ed him  an  outlaw  and  a  rebel.  His  voice  could 
s 


34  SCOTCH  AND   IRISH  SEEDS. 

neither  be  silenced  nor  his  influence  suppressed. 
Communicating  his  own  courage  in  a  large  degree 
to  the  Protestant  nobility,  they  resolved  to  defend 
their  right  of  liberty  of  worship  and  to  protect 
their  pastors  who  had  been  put  on  trial.  For  this 
purpose  they  assembled  at  Perth  with  arms  to  en- 
force their  just  demands.  But  again  were  they  de- 
ceived by  the  false  promise  of  the  queen-regent,  who 
agreed  that  "  if  they  would  quietly  disperse  no 
steps  should  be  taken  against  their  ministers."  No 
sooner,  however,  had  the  Protestants  returned  to 
their  homes  than  their  pastors  were  denounced  as 
rebels  for  not  appearing  for  trial  on  the  day 
originally  named  in  the  summons,  and  all  per- 
sons were  prohibited,  "  under  pain  of  rebellion,  to 
assist,  comfort,  receive  or  maintain  them  in  any 
sort." 

The  duplicity  of  the  queen  excited  in  the  minds 
of  Protestants  the  utmost  contempt,  and  in  that  of 
the  people  at  large  a  total  loss  of  confidence.  The 
prior  of  St.  Andrews  and  the  earl  of  Argyle  re- 
tired in  disgust  from  her  councils  and  joined 
themselves  to  the  Protestant  cause.  Strengthened 
by  these  and  other  valuable  accessions,  the  Lords 
of  the  Congregation  "  framed  and  subscribed  an- 
other bond,  pledging  them  to  mutual  support  and 
defence  in  the  cause  of  religion."  They  resolved, 
also,  to  abolish  the  idolatrous  rites  of  popery,  and 
to  establish  Protestant  worship  wherever  the  au- 
thority of  the  nobility  or  the  favor  of  the  people 


HISTORY  OF  THE  scotch  CHURCH.       35 

sanctioned  it.  Lord  James  Stewart,  the  prior  of 
St.  Andrews,  who  had  recently  joined  the  Reformers, 
invited  Knox  to  preach  publicly  in  the  abbey  on  a 
certain  day.  The  invitation  was  eagerly  accepted, 
and  on  the  9th  of  June  the  preacher  arrived  at  St. 
Andrews.  The  archbishop  was  enraged.  He 
threatened  that  if  John  Knox  should  dare  to 
appear  in  the  pulpit  of  the  cathedral  "he  should 
be  saluted  with  a  dozen  of  culverings,  whereof  the 
most  part  should  light  on  his  nose."  Fearing  to  ex- 
pose the  life  of  the  preacher,  as  well  as  their  own 
lives,  to  such  imminent  peril,  some  were  disposed  to 
retreat.  But  when  Knox  was  consulted,  he  en- 
treated them  not  to  hinder  him  from  preaching, 
for  this  was  an  opportunity  for  which  he  had 
longed  and  prayed  and  hoped ;  and  "  as  for  the 
fear  of  danger  that  may  come  to  me,  let  no  man 
be  solicitous,  for  my  life  is  in  the  custody  of 
Him  whose  glory  I  seek.  I  desire  the  hand  and 
weapon  of  no  man  to  defend  me.  I  only  crave 
audience." 

This  language  was  becoming  him  "  who  never 
feared  the  face  of  man."  The  call  he  regarded 
as  one  of  sacred  duty,  and  his  dauntless  courage 
so  inspired  the  lords  that  they  ceased  to  think  of 
danger.  On  the  appointed  day  Knox  appeared 
in  the  pulpit  and  preached  to  a  large  audience, 
including  the  archbishop  and  many  of  the  in- 
ferior clergy,  and  no  "culverings"  were  fired  at 
him,  for  God  restrained  the  fury  of  his  enemies, 


36  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

while  his  Spirit  subdued  the  hearts  of  the  people. 
His  subject  was  our  Lord's  driving  the  traders 
from  the  temple,  which  he  applied  to  the  duty  of 
Christians  to  purify  the  Church  and  remove  from 
it  all  the  corruptions  of  papacy.  For  three  days 
he  preached  in  the  same  place,  and  the  result  was 
that  the  Reformed  worship  was  established  in  the 
city,  and  the  magistracy  and  people  stripped  the 
church  of  images  and  pictures. 

Information  of  what  had  taken  place  not  only 
a<  St.  Andrews,  but  in  the  other  parts  of  the  king- 
dom, led  the  queen-regent  to  adopt  vigorous  meas- 
ures to  suppress  the  Lords  of  the  Congregation. 
She  raised  an  army,  which  was  met  by  armed 
resistance  on  the  part  of  the  Protestants.  After 
alternate  reverses  of  both  parties  and  a  long  war 
of  diplomacy,  the  Protestants  applied  to  Queen 
Elizabeth  of  England  for  aid,  and  with  the  assist- 
ance afforded  by  her  army  and  fleet  the  French 
troops  were  driven  from  Scotland.  In  the  treaty 
which  followed  it  was  stipulated  that  a  free  Par- 
liament should  be  convened,  which  assembled  in 
August,  1560.  Both  the  circumstances  in  which 
they  met  and  the  subjects  on  which  they  were 
called  to  deliberate,  constitute  this  the  most  im- 
portant meeting  of  the  estates  of  the  kingdom  that 
had  as  yet  been  held  in  Scotland.  A  petition  by  a 
number  of  Protestants  was  presented  to  this  body, 
praying  "that  the  anti-Christian  doctrine  main- 
tained in  the  Popish  Church  should  be  discarded  ; 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH   CHURCH.        37 

that  means  should  be  used  to  restore  purity  of 
worship  and  primitive  discipline;  and  that  the 
ecclesiastical  revenues  should  be  applied  to  the 
support  of  a  pious  and  active  ministry,  to  the 
promotion  of  learning  and  to  the  relief  of  the 
poor."  In  this  petition  we  have  the  assertion  of 
several  great  principles — purity  of  worship,  return 
to  primitive  discipline  and  the  proper  support  of 
a  pious  and  devoted  ministry — which  subsequent- 
ly were  put  into  operation  in  the  Scottish  Church 
and  made  it  a  blessing  and  a  power  in  the  king- 
dom. 

With  respect  to  the  first  request  of  the  peti- 
tioners, that  of  purity  of  worship,  the  Parliament 
required  the  Reformed  ministers  to  lay  before 
them  a  summary  of  doctrines  agreeable  to  the 
Scriptures  and  which  they  wished  established. 
This  they  did  in  a  confession  of  twenty-five  arti- 
cles. It  was  read  first  before  the  lords  of  arti- 
cles and  then  before  the  whole  Parliament,  and 
after  due  examination  it  was  formally  ratified  by 
the  Parliament,  only  three  noblemen  voting  against 
it.  This  body  also,  August  24th,  abolished  the 
papal  jurisdiction,  prohibited  the  celebration  of 
mass,  and  rescinded  all  the  laws  against  the  Re- 
formed faith. 

Thus,  by  the  act  of  the  State,  the  Protestant 
religion  became  the  national  religion  of  Scotland. 
But  Parliament,  though  it  had  annulled  the  papal 
jurisdiction,  created  no  ecclesiastical  authoiity  in 


38  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

its  stead.  During  these  distracted  times  little 
comparatively  had  been  done  to  organize  even 
local  churches.  Converted  priests  and  laymen 
taught  the  doctrines  which  they  had  received  as 
opportunity  offered.  There  were  very  few  sta- 
tioned preachers.  Most  of  those  capable  of  pre- 
senting the  Reformed  faith  in  a  suitable  manner 
to  the  people  itinerated  in  different  parts  of  the 
kingdom.  But  the  circumstances  had  so  changed 
that  all  felt  there  was  a  pressing  necessity  to  adopt 
measures  for  a  national  ecclesiastical  organization. 
The  vacant  field  was  in  need  of  diligent  and  wise 
cultivation ;  it  was  plainly  their  duty  to  secure 
the  vantage-ground  gained  for  the  Reformation. 

To  this  end  the  first  General  Assembly  of 
Scotland  was  convened  at  Edinburgh,  December 
20,  1560.  It  owed  its  authority  to  no  earthly 
power,  and  hence  was  free  to  adopt  a  system  of 
doctrines  and  a  form  of  government  which  it  con- 
sidered most  consonant  to  the  Scriptures.  Scot- 
land escaped  for  the  present  the  evil  under  which 
the  English  Church  had  long  suffered — the  forced 
acknowledgment  of  the  supremacy  of  the  civil 
power  as  her  spiritual  head.  But  the  principle 
which  was  now  conceded  was  afterward  to  become 
an  object  of  fierce  and  protracted  conflict. 

The  Assembly  consisted  of  but  forty  members, 
and  only  six  of  these  were  ministers.  While  few 
in  number,  however,  the  clergy  were  men  of  abil- 
ity and  piety  and  raised  up  by  God  for  the  work 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.        39 

given  them  to  do.  Great  simplicity  and  unanim- 
ity characterized  the  proceedings.  Seven  differ- 
ent meetings  were  held  without  a  moderator  or 
president.  The  Assembly  in  many  of  its  features 
resembled  a  missionary  organization,  having  been 
called  into  being  by  the  exigences  of  the  occasion. 
The  papal  organization  had  been  abolished,  and 
they  were  under  the  necessity  of  making  imme- 
diate provision  for  the  spiritual  instruction  of  the 
people.  And  as  the  purity  of  the  Church  was 
essential  to  its  well-being,  and  as  this  could  in 
their  view  only  be  maintained  by  the  power  of 
discipline,  their  first  work  was  to  draw  up  a  com- 
plete system  of  ecclesiastical  government.  This 
task  was  devolved  upon  the  same  eminent  men 
who  had  framed  the  Confession  of  Faith  which 
had  been  ratified  by  Parliament — John  Knox, 
John  Mirriam,  John  Spottiswood,  John  Douglas, 
John  Row  and  John  Willock.  The  work  they 
divided  among  themselves;  and  having  finished 
their  several  parts  and  examined  the  whole  to- 
gether, they  laid  it  before  the  General  Assembly, 
by  whom  it  was  approved.  Whether  it  was  for- 
mally adopted,  as  opposition  was  made  by  some  of 
the  nobility  with  whose  selfish  schemes  it  inter- 
fered, there  is  some  reason  to  doubt.  The  prob- 
abilities are  that  it  was  adopted  at  a  meeting  held 
in  the  following  January.  This  much  we  do 
know — that  this,  the  First  Book  of  Discipline, 
was    afterward    referred    to    and    regarded    as   the 


40  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

standard  book  of  the  Church,  regulating  her  prac- 
tice and  guiding  her  decisions. 

As  this  is  the  constitution  of  the  Church  of 
Scotland  and  contains  the  matured  opinions  of  the 
Scotch  Reformers,  it  is  very  desirable  that  we  have 
clear  views  respecting  its  provisions.  The  lead- 
ing ideas  of  the  book  of  discipline  were  suggested 
by  Knox,  who  was  at  the  head  of  the  commission, 
and  the  principles  of  church  government  embod- 
ied in  it  bore  a  striking  resemblance  to  those  of  the 
Genevan  Reformers.  Nor  is  this  surprising.  For 
years  Knox  and  Calvin  had  been  intimately  associ- 
ated, and  we  have  before  seen  that  their  views  were 
remarkably  accordant  in  doctrine,  as  they  were  now 
respecting  the  polity  of  the  Church.  These  two 
great  men,  in  common  with  the  early  Puritans, 
recognized  four  classes  of  church  officers — pastors, 
who  were  to  preach  the  gospel  and  administer  the 
sacraments;  doctors  or  teachers,  whose  province  it 
was  to  interpret  Scripture  and  refute  error  and  to 
teach  theology  in  schools  and  universities;  ruling 
elders,  who  assisted  the  pastor  in  exercising  disci- 
pline; and  deacons,  who  had  special  charge  of 
the  revenue  of  the  church  and  of  the  poor. 
But  in  the  Scottish  as  in  other  Presbyterian 
and  Congregational  churches,  the  distinct  office 
of  teacher  fell  into  disuse.  As  merely  academi- 
cal or  theological,  or  of  the  nature  of  an  aid  to 
the  pastor,  as  in  the  Congregational  churches  of 
New  England,  it   lacked  the  position  and  promi- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.       41 

nence  which  were  essential  to  its  permanent  rec- 
ognition. 

The  session,  consisting  of  the  pastor,  elders  and 
deacons,  managed  the  affairs  of  the  individual 
congregation.  They  were  chosen  by  the  people, 
and  met  weekly  or  oftener  for  the  transaction  of 
business.  There  was  also  held  in  every  princi- 
pal town  a  meeting,  called  the  "  weekly  exercise," 
composed  of  ministers,  teachers  and  educated  men 
in  the  vicinity.  This  was  subsequently  converted 
into  the  presbytery  and  had  the  oversight  of  the 
neighboring  churches.  The  provincial  synod  dis- 
charged kindred  duties,  only  on  a  wider  field.  The 
General  Assembly,  which  was  composed  of  min- 
isters and  elders  commissioned  for  the  purpose, 
and  meeting  twice  or  thrice  a  year,  attended  to 
the  general  interests  of  the  national  Church. 

Two  great  objects  were  sought  to  be  secured 
by  these  arrangements — the  one  the  freedom  and 
vigor  of  the  individual  congregation,  the  other 
a  system  of  order  and  discipline  common  to  all 
the  churches.  The  first  was  vindicated  by  de- 
claring it  as  a  principle  founded  upon  the  word 
of  God  that  "  it  appertairieth  to  the  people  and  to 
every  several  congregation  to  elect  their  minister." 
The  last  was  promoted  through  the  influence  ex- 
erted by  synods  and  the  General  Assembly,  con- 
stituting as  they  did  the  missionary  and  aggressive 
organization  for  all  the  churches.  Public  worship 
was  held  twice  on  the  Sabbath,  and  in  every  town 


42  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

a  sermon  was  preached  also  on  one  other  day  of 
the  week.  Baptism,  when  administered,  was  ac- 
companied with  preaching,  and  the  Lord's  Supper 
was  observed  four  times  a  year  with  appropriate 
sermons  and  instruction.  A  school  was  to  be 
established  in  every  parish,  and  in  every  "  notable 
town"  it  was  proposed  to  erect  a  college  for  the 
higher  education  of  the  youth.  Measures  were 
adopted  to  secure  the  instruction  of  all  classes, 
those  who  were  able  being  obliged  to  do  it  at 
their  own  expense,  while  a  fund  was  provided  to  ed- 
ucate the  children  of  the  poor.  To  carry  all  these 
important  measures  into  effect,  the  patrimony  of  the 
former  ecclesiastical  establishment  was  divided  be- 
tween the  ministry,  the  schools  and  the  poor. 

These  were  the  principal  features  of  the  govern- 
ment and  discipline  of  the  Church  of  Scotland 
as  set  forth  in  the  book  of  discipline.  As  thus 
constituted,  the  Church  was  purely  Presbyterian. 
It  had,  it  is  true,  one  peculiar  feature — that  of 
a  system  of  superintendence ,  which  some  have 
claimed  favored  a  modified  form  of  episcopacy. 
But  the  office  of  a  superintendent  had  little  if 
anything  in  common  With  that  of  a  bishop. 
Superintendents  were  required  to  be  preachers 
and  to  remain  in  a  particular  place  for  months, 
exercising  the  pastoral  office,  and  were  subject  to 
the  censure  and  control  of  the  clergy.  While 
visiting  the  churches  they  were  to  preach  not  less 
than  three  times  weekly,  were  not  to  relax  their 


history   OF  THE  scotch  CHURCH.       43 

efforts  until  all  the  churches  were  supplied  with 
ministers,  and  if  condemned  for  any  offence  they 
were  deprived  of  their  office  like  any  ordinary 
pastor.  All  these  restrictions  are  inconsistent  with 
the  privileges  and  the  dignity  of  the  office  of  a 
prelatic  bishop. 

Their  duties  more  nearly  resembled  those  of  a 
sy nodical  missionary  than  of  any  other  officer  in  the 
Church  of  the  present  day.  They  exercised  a  gen- 
eral supervision  over  extended  districts — a  pro- 
vision greatly  needed  at  that  time,  owing  to  the 
want  of  properly  qualified  ministers  and  the  desti- 
tute condition  of  the  congregations.  The  superin- 
tendents were  not  a  separate  order  of  the  clergy, 
and  their  authority  was  carefully  guarded,  so  as  not 
to  infringe  upon  the  parity  of  the  ministry.  Yet 
their  own  usurpations  of  power  and  authority,  to- 
gether with  the  intrigues  of  certain  of  the  nobility, 
who  wished  to  use  them  for  their  selfish  purposes, 
and  with  this  object  in  view  conceded  to  them 
episcopal  titles,  soon  rendered  the  office  very  ob- 
noxious with  the  people.  By  way  of  derision  they 
were  called  tulchan  bishops,  and  a  more  contempt- 
uous term  than  this  could  scarcely  have  been 
devised.  The  "tulchan"  was  a  calf's  skin  stuffed 
with  straw,  which  was  laid  beside  the  cow  to  in- 
duce her  to  give  her  milk  more  freely.  "The 
bishop,"  it  was  said,  "  had  the  title,  but  my  lord 
had  the  milk." 

The  plan  to  make  them  bishops  was  not  owing 


44  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

to  any  zeal  for  episcopacy  on  the  part  of  the  peo- 
ple, but,  as  before  stated,  grew  out  of  the  avarice  of 
the  nobility,  who  were  anxious  to  get  hold  of  the 
episcopal  revenues.  At  the  period  when  the  at- 
tempt was  made  to  invest  the  superintendents  with 
the  title  and  authority  of  bishops  Knox  was  on 
his  deathbed,  and  his  last  hours  were  embittered 
by  a  knowledge  of  the  proposed  innovation.  He 
gave  his  "dead  hand  and  dying  voice"  against  it. 
Like  Calvin,  he  was  willing  to  allow  expediency  a 
large  place  in  the  outward  constitution  of  the 
Church,  and  he  saw  nothing  unscriptural  in  the 
appointment  of  superintendents  who  should  super- 
vise large  districts  in  the  capacity  of  missionaries 
in  order  to  provide  the  means  of  grace  to  destitute 
congregations,  and  to  organize  churches  where  they 
were  needed,  but  to  the  very  last  he  steadfastly 
refused  to  acknowledge  them  as  a  distinct  order  of 
the  ministry,  and  would  never  give  his  consent  to 
their  ordination  as  such. 

On  the  5th  of  December,  1560,  her  young  hus- 
band, Francis  II.,  who  occupied  the  throne  but  for 
a  few  months,  died,  and  Mary  returned  to  her  native 
country  from  France.  She  landed  at  Leith,  and  was 
conducted  to  Holyrood  House  with  many  demon- 
strations of  joy  by  a  people  who  were  ready  to  be 
loyal  to  their  queen,  provided  they  could  at  the  same 
time  maintain  their  higher  allegiance  to  the  King  of 
kings.  From  motives  of  policy,  and  with  the  de- 
sign to  secure  the  confidence  of  the  Protestants,  she 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.       45 

■was  led  to  make  many  concessions  to  them,  since 
tlx-v  were  the  predominant  party  in  the  kingdom. 
But  in  all  these  measures  the  queen  was  insincere, 
and  was  distrusted  by  the  Protestant  party.  It 
was  known  that  she  still  adhered  to  the  tenets  of 
the  Romish  faith  and  was  at  heart  a  bigoted  papist, 
and  her  subsequent  conduct  confirmed  the  worst 
fears  of  Knox  and  the  other  Reformers.  She  re- 
fused to  ratify  the  acts  of  Parliament  that  had 
established  the  Reformation,  she  repeatedly  at- 
tempted to  restore  to  the  papal  prelates  their 
civil  jurisdiction,  and  in  1563  she  sent  a  letter 
to  the  Council  of  Trent,  professing  her  submission 
to  its  authority,  and  expressing  the  hope  that  she 
would  succeed  in  time  in  bringing  both  England 
and  Scotland  under  the  dominion  of  the  Roman 
see.  To  the  petition  of  her  Protestant  subjects 
for  the  suppression  of  the  superstitious  rites  and 
worship  of  the  papal  Church  she  in  great  anger 
replied  that  "she  hoped  before  another  year  to 
restore  the  mass  throughout  Scotland."  But  her 
crowning  act  of  perfidy  was  her  subscribing  the 
treaty  of  Bayonne,  formed  between  the  queen- 
regent  of  France,  the  queen  of  Spain  and  the 
duke  of  Alva,  which  contemplated  the  total  and 
universal  extermination  of  the  Protestants  by  fire 
and  sword.*  Thus,  with  a  duplicity  character- 
istic of  Romanism  in  all  ages,  Mary,  by  procla- 
mations and  acts  of  councils,  wished  to  be  re- 
*  Hume. 


46  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

garded  as  favoring  the  Reformed  ministers,  while 
she  was  secretly  negotiating  for  the  subversion 
of  the  Protestant  religion  throughout  Europe. 

A  determined  resistance  was  made  against  these 
and  all  other  measures  intended  to  restore  the  spir- 
itual domination  of  Rome.  At  the  same  time  the 
Scottish  Reformers  displayed  equal  zeal  in  main- 
taining their  religious  liberties.  Foremost  among 
these  was  John  Knox,  who  launched  his  fiercest 
invectives  against  the  queen  for  her  deceptive 
conduct,  and  against  certain  of  the  nobility, 
who,  through  the  bribes  of  power  and  the  loose 
manners  to  which  they  had  become  accustomed  at 
a  licentious  court,  were  ready  to  betray  the  inter- 
ests of  Protestantism.  Wherever  the  contest  was 
the  fiercest,  wherever  the  assault  was  most  deter- 
mined and  persistent,  and  wherever  boldness  and 
inflexible  courage,  combined  with  prudence  and 
great  wisdom,  were  needed,  there  stood  the  in- 
trepid Reformer,  ready  to  resist  successfully  all 
the  attacks  of  the  enemy,  until,  worn  out  by  anx- 
iety of  mind  and  his  long  and  arduous  labors,  he 
died  on  the  29th  day  of  October,  1572. 

To  the  very  last  he  evinced  the  same  faithful 
intrepidity  to  truth  and  principle.  Addressing  the 
wicked  regent,  Morton,  he  boldly  told  him:  "God 
has  beautified  you  with  many  benefits  which  he 
has  not  given  to  every  man,  and  therefore,  in 
the  name  of  God,  I  charge  you  to  use  all  these 
benefits  aright,  and   better  in  time  to  come  than 


HISTORY   OF  THE  scotch  CHURCH.       47 

ye  have  done  in  times  by  the  past.  If  ye  shall 
do  so,  God  bless  yon  and  honor  yon  ;  but  if  ye 
do  not,  God  shall  spoil  you  of  these  benefits,  and 
your  end  shall  be  ignominy  and  shame."  How 
prophetic  these  words !  and  how  forcibly  must  they 
have  recurred  to  the  regent's  mind  as  he  lay  in 
prison  and   was  subsequently  led  to  the  scaffold  ! 

Scarcely  could  a  higher  or  more  just  eulogy 
have  been  uttered  than  was  pronounced  by  Mor- 
ton when  Knox's  body  was  lowered  into  the  grave : 
"  There  lies  he  who  never  feared  the  face  of  man." 
"  He  was  the  greatest  living  Scotchman,"  says  the 
historian  Froude,  "and  the  full  measure  of  his 
greatness  no  man  in  his  day  could  estimate.  The 
spirit  of  Knox  created  and  saved  Scotland ;  and 
if  Scotland  had  been  Catholic  again,  neither  the 
wisdom  of  Elizabeth's  ministers,  nor  the  teachings 
of  her  bishops,  nor  her  own  chicaneries,  would 
have  preserved  England  from  revolution."  Car- 
lyle  calls  him  "the  bravest  of  all  Scotchmen" — 
"the  one  Scotchman  to  whom,  of  all  others,  his 
country  and  the  world  owe  a  debt." 

While  his  age  and  his  contemporaries  may  not 
have  been  able  to  measure  his  greatness,  his  coun- 
trymen were  not  insensible  of  their  indebtedness  to 
him.  Sincere  and  heartfelt  grief  was  felt  at  his 
death  by  every  Protestant  throughout  the  kingdom, 
for  they  were. painfully  conscious  that  a  grievous 
calamity  had  fallen  upon  the  Church  of  Scotland. 

Notwithstanding  the  Church   had   been   obliged 


48  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

for  the  last  quarter  of  a  century  to  maintain  an 
incessant  struggle  with  the  court,  which  was  anx- 
ious to  establish  a  spurious  prelacy  and  to  make 
the  spiritual  subordinate  to  and  a  vassal  of  the 
civil  power,  yet  was  it  a  period  of  great  prosper- 
ity to  the  Church.  Though  encountering  either 
direct  persecution  or  the  secret  stratagems  of  insid- 
ious foes,  its  General  Assemblies  were  convened 
frequently,  by  means  of  which  its  ecclesiastical 
organization  was  speedily  perfected,  purity  of  doc- 
trine maintained,  a  suitable  ministry  provided,  the 
destitute  parishes  supplied  with  pastors,  and  its 
forms  of  divine  worship  established.  When  the 
first  Assembly  met,  in  1560,  it  is  stated  that  there 
were  but  twelve  Protestant  ministers  in  Scotland  ; 
while  in  1567,  just  seven  years  afterward,  there  were 
two  hundred  and  fifty-two,  and  in  addition  to  these 
there  were  six  hundred  and  twenty-one  readers  and 
exhorters.  The  order  of  supplying  destitute  con- 
gregations was  first  the  reader,  then  the  exhorter, 
and  lastly  the  minister;  and  at  the  beginning  the 
cases  were  rare,  except  in  the  larger  towns,  where 
more  than  one  of  these  agents  were  employed.  But 
the  fact  that  in  1576,  only  nine  years  after  this,  one 
hundred  and  sixteen  out  of  the  two  hundred  and 
eighty-nine  Presbyterian  parishes  were  supplied 
with  both  a  minister  and  a  reader  is  a  clear  indi- 
cation of  the  wonderful  growth  of  the  Church. 
The  rapid  and  general  diffusion  of  the  truths  of 
the  Scriptures  by  means  of  these  several  church 


HISTORY   OF  THE  sewn 'II  CHURCH.        49 

officers  led  the  people  speedily  to  abandon  the 
superstitions  of  the  papacy.  That  this  was  well- 
nigh  universal  throughout  the  kingdom  may  be 
inferred  from  the  language  of  the  complaint  pre- 
sented to  the  General  Assembly  in  1588,  which 
stated  that  there  were  still  "twelve  papists  in 
Dumfries  and  its  neighborhood,  ten  in  Angus  and 
Mearns,  three  in  the  Lothians,"  etc.  How  shall 
we  account  for  so  great  an  external  growth,  ac- 
companied as  it  was  by  an  equally  remarkable 
improvement  in  doctrine  and  discipline?  Such 
energy  as  was  shown  and  such  wondrous  deeds 
as  were  achieved  by  the  Church  of  Scotland  can 
only  be  accounted  for  on  the  supposition  that  the 
ministry  was  largely  imbued  with  the  Spirit  of 
their  divine  Master,  and  that  their  exertions  to 
enlighten  and  save  the  people  were  accompanied  by 
the  Holy  Ghost.  "  Not  by  might,  nor  by  power, 
but  by  my  Spirit,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts;"  and 
thus  only  could  so  great  and  so  gracious  a  change 
have  been  wrought  throughout  an  entire  kingdom. 
It  should  be  borne  in  mind,  too,  that  this  great 
progress  of  the  Church  was  achieved  in  the  face  of 
strong  opposition.  The  ill-timed  pretensions  of 
Mary  to  the  crown  of  England  and  her  bigoted 
attachment  to  popery  had  kept  the  kingdom  in  a 
state  of  constant  disturbance ;  and  when  her  power 
to  annoy  and  harass  the  ministers  had  ceased  and 
the  regent  Morton  succeeded  to  the  civil  authority, 
their  trials  and  difficulties  were  by  no  means  at  an 

4 


50  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEllS. 

end.  The  latter — a  bold,  wicked  man  and  an  adept 
in  all  manner  of  intrigue — was  more  to  be  dread- 
ed than  an  open  enemy.  As  direct  violence  had 
proven  ineffectual  to  suppress  the  Reformed  faith, 
he  resolved  to  try  what  could  be  accomplished  by 
more  subtle  and  insidious  measures.  His  efforts 
were  directed  to  these  two  things — first,  to  change 
the  constitution  of  the  Church  of  Scotland,  mak- 
ing it  prelatic,  like  that  of  England,  and  subject 
to  the  civil  power;  and  second,  to  impoverish  the 
Church  in  order  to  enrich  himself.  The  former 
was  to  be  reached  by  exalting  and  confirming  the 
power  of  his  "  tulchan "  bishops  and  placing  the 
most  sycophantic  and  unprincipled  of  them  in  in- 
fluential positions;  the  latter,  by  gaining  control 
of  the  thirds  of  the  benefices,  under  pretence  that 
the  stipends  of  the  ministers  should  be  paid  more 
regularly  and  satisfactorily.  But  no  sooner  had  he 
obtained  the  money  than  he  joined  several  parishes 
together  and  appointed  over  them  one  of  his  tul- 
chan bishops,  paying  him  as  if  he  had  only  a  sin- 
gle charge  and  retaining  for  his  own  the  balance 
of  the  funds. 

It  was  against  such  hindrances  and  such  oppo- 
sition as  this  that  the  Protestant  ministry  had  con- 
stantly to  contend.  The  struggle  knew  no  inter- 
mission and  it  was  for  the  right  of  existence. 
The  clear  judgment  and  intrepid  spirit  of  John 
Knox  were  at  this  period  greatly  missed  in  their 
councils.      Had    that   skillful    pilot   been    at   the 


HISTORY  OF   THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.       61 

wheel,  the  storm-tossed  vessel  would  have  been 
spared  from  encountering  many  of  those  tumul- 
tous waves  which  frequently  threatened  to  engulph 
it.  True,  there  were  not  wanting  many  excellent 
men  sincerely  attached  to  the  principles  of  the 
Reformation  and  capable  in  more  peaceful  times 
of  defending  them,  but  they  wrere  unable  success- 
fully to  surmount  the  new  difficulties  against 
which  they  had  to  contend  at  the  hands  of  the 
subtle  and  stern  regent. 

At  this  juncture  (1574)  Andrew  Melville  re- 
turned from  Geneva  to  his  native  land.  During 
his  residence  of  ten  years  on  the  Continent  he 
enjoyed  the  acquaintance  and  counsels  of  Beza, 
the  successor  of  Calvin.  With  the  firmness,  cour- 
age and  integrity  of  Knox,  and  with  more  than 
his  learning,  being  a  distinguished  Oriental  scholar 
and  familiar  with  law  and  the  great  principles  of 
civil  government,  Melville  was  the  man  for  the 
crisis.  His  presence  infused  a  new  life  and  vigor 
into  the  Protestant  cause.  He  at  once  began  a 
spirited  opposition  to  the  machinations  of  Morton, 
and  in  the  Assembly  of  1575  discussed  freely  and 
fearlessly  the  question  of  the  lawfulness  of  episco- 
pacy, affirming  "  that  none  ought  to  be  office- 
bearers in  the  Church  whose  titles  were  not  found 
in  the  book  of  God ;  that,  though  the  appellation 
of  bishop  was  used  in  Scripture,  it  was  not  to  be 
understood  in  the  sense  usually  affixed  to  it,  there 
being   no    superiority   amongst   ministers   aFowed 


52  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

by  Christ ;  that  Jesus  was  the  only  Lord  of  the 
Church,  all  his  servants  being  equal  in  degree  and 
power;  and  that  the  corruptions  which  had  crept 
into  the  state  of  bishops  (tulchan  bishops)  were  so 
great  that,  unless  they  were  removed,  it  could 
neither  go  well  with  the  Church,  nor  could  religion 
be  preserved  in  purity." 

The  question  respecting  the  lawfulness  of  episco- 
pacy continued  to  agitate  the  Church  for  several 
years.  In  1576  the  Assembly  had  advanced  in 
its  solution  so  far  as  to  declare,  with  a  good  degree 
of  unanimity,  "  that  the  name  of  bishop  is  common 
to  all  who  are  appointed  to  take  charge  of  a  par- 
ticular flock,  and  that  preaching  the  word,  ad- 
ministering the  sacraments  and  exercising  disci- 
pline with  the  consent  of  their  elders,  are  their 
chief  duties  according  to  the  word  of  God." 
The  contest  between  Morton  and  the  Church 
knew  no  abatement  in  1577,  the  former  being 
determined  to  retain  and  extend  his  favorite  tul- 
chan system,  and  the  latter  as  fully  resolved  to 
put  an  end  to  it.  Even  after  Morton  had  re- 
signed and  King  James  had  assumed  the  reins 
of  government,  this  subject  was  the  chief  topic  of 
dispute  in  the  succeeding  Assemblies,  until  in  1580 
it  was  declared  "  that  the  office  of  a  bishop,  as  it 
was  then  used  and  commonly  understood,  was  des- 
titute of  warrant  and  authority  from  the  word  of 
God,  was  of  mere  human  invention,  introduced  by 
folly  and  corruption,  and  tended  to  the  great  in- 


jury  of  the  Church."  It  was  further  ordained 
"  that  all  such  persons  as  were  in  possession  of 
said  pretended  <  ffice  should  be  charged  to  demit 
it." 

In  this  long  and  important  conflict  Melville 
was  the  most  distinguished  opponent  of  the  civil 
power,  which  had  sought  first  to  corrupt  and  then 
to  destroy  the  influence  and  authority  of  the  min- 
istry of  the  Church.  The  sagacious  Morton  early 
discerned  his  great  abilities  and  that  he  was  des- 
tined to  wield  an  extensive  influence,  and  accord- 
ingly had  attempted  to  secure  him  as  his  agent  to 
prosecute  his  own  designs.  With  this  object  in 
view,  he  requested  him  to  act  as  domestic  instruc- 
tor to  the  regent,  and  promised  him  advancement 
whenever  a  vacancy  should  occur.  His  next  bribe 
was  the  living  of  Govan,  and  finally  he  offered 
him  the  archbishopric  of  St.  Andrews  upon  the 
death  of  Douglass.  But  all  his  bribes  were  alike 
ineffectual,  and  Melville  remained  the  most  stren- 
uous, as  he  was  the  ablest,  opponent  of  the  regent's 
wicked  policy. 

He  next  attempted  to  intimidate  him.  In  de- 
fending from  the  Scriptures  their  right  to  meet 
as  an  Assembly  in  1577,  to  frame  a  system  of 
faith  and  to  exercise  discipline  in  the  Church  of 
Christ  without  asking  permission  of  the  civil 
magistrate,  he  incurred  the  bitter  anger  of  Mor- 
ton, who  told  him  that  "there  will  never  be  quiet- 
ness i  1   this  country  till    half  a  dozen   of  you   be 


54  SCUTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

hanged  or  banished."  "  Tush,  sir !"  replied  Mel- 
ville; "threaten  your  courtiers  after  that  manner. 
It  is  the  same  to  me  whether  I  rot  in  the  air  or  in 
the  ground.  The  earth  is  the  Lord's.  My  coun- 
try is  wherever  goodness  is.  I  have  been  ready 
to  give  my  life  where  it  would  not  have  been  half 
so  well  expended,  at  the  pleasure  of  my  God.  Let 
God  be  glorified ;  it  will  not  be  in  your  power  to 
hang  or  exile  his  truth."  The  regent  was  greatly 
incensed,  but  did  not  dare  to  put  his  threats  into 
execution.  The  seizure  of  the  bold  Reformer 
would  only  have  ensured  his  own  defeat. 

The  previous  discussions,  growing  out  of  certain 
inconsistencies  in  the  constitution  of  the  Church, 
made  it  desirable  that  its  powers  should  be  more 
accurately  defined.  A  committee  had  been  en- 
gaged in  this  work  for  some  years ;  and  when  the 
Assembly  met  in  1578,  it  proceeded  to  consider 
the  system  of  ecclesiastical  polity  which  this  com- 
mittee reported.  The  articles  were  read  one  by 
one,  and  after  long  and  deliberate  discussion  were 
approved  and  adopted  by  the  Assembly,  and  the 
system  thus  formally  ratified  is  known  as  the  Sec- 
ond Book  of  Discipline.  It  defines  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  Church  more  precisely  than  did 
the  first  book  of  discipline,  which  was  hastily 
drawn  up.  It  makes  the  line  of  distinction  clear 
between  civil  and  ecclesiastical  power,  vindicates 
the  rights  of  church  courts  as  independent  of  the 
civil   magistrate,  asserts  the  parity  of  the  minis- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  semen  dirndl.        55 

tiy,  the  right  of  congregations  to  select  their  own 
officers,  protests  against  the  intrusion  of  lay- 
men into  the  ministerial  office,  and  defines  the 
proper  courts  of  the  Church,  as  sessions,  presby- 
teries, synods  and  General  Assemblies.  It  thus 
presents  the  order  and  principles  to  which  the 
Presbyterian  Church  has  since  adhered.  Although 
not  at  first  contended  for  as  jure  divino,  the  assaults 
made  upon  them  by  kingcraft  and  by  Episcopal 
prelates  led  their  defenders  to  maintain  their 
scriptural  authority,  and  their  superiority  in  this 
respect  to  any  other  system  taken,  not  "  from  the 
pure  fountains  of  God's  holy  word,"  but  from 
"  the  systems  of  men's  invention." 

Even  those  who  most  earnestly  dissent  from  the 
claim  of  divine  authority  for  the  system  are  fore- 
most in  their  praise  of  its  wisdom  and  its  exceed- 
ing usefulness.  As  it  is  "  the  great  design  of  every 
ecclesiastical  establishment  to  disseminate  the  doc- 
trines and  the  precepts  of  religion,  and  to  afford 
the  most  effectual  aid  for  the  formation  of  a  pious 
and  virtuous  character,  it  provides  an  efficient  and 
resident  clergy,  unites  them  with  the  people,  whom 
they  are  to  instruct  and  comfort  and  for  whose 
welfare  they  are  bound  to  labor,  devoting  their 
time  and  their  talents  to  advance  the  moral  and 
religious  improvement  of  all  classes  of  the  com- 
munity, and  guards  the  office  of  the  ministry  from 
being  assumed  by  men  who  had  not  received  a 
liberal  education  and   attained  that  proficiency  in 


56  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SELDS. 

human  science  which  is  necessary  for  explaining 
and  defending  the  records  of  revelation.  More- 
over, it  does  not  leave  the  absolute  decision  of  any 
important  point  to  one  man  or  to  one  society  of 
men;  but  constituting  a  regular  gradation  of  judi- 
catories, to  which  all  had  access,  it  gives  every 
security  which  could  be  afforded  for  the  exami- 
nation of  whatever  affects  the  character  or  the 
happiness  of  those  who  acknowledge  its  authority. 
And  it  is  most  favorable  to  the  prevalence  of  that 
political  liberty  and  that  independence  of  mind 
which  cannot  be  too  highly  valued."*  Refer- 
ring to  this  same  system,  another  writer  says  :  "  It 
has  ultimately  proved  itself  eminently  adapted  for 
preserving  political  freedom,  for  defending  the 
truths  of  religion,  and  for  conveying  in  a  most 
impressive  manner  to  the  great  part  of  the  com- 
munity that  interesting  instruction  which  all  eccle- 
siastical orders  and  systems  were  intended  to  im- 
part." 

The  Church  of  Scotland  continued  to  have  many 
severe  struggles  with  the  king  and  his  Parliament 
up  to  the  year  1585,  when  the  papal  influence  was 
finally  destroyed  by  the  expulsion  of  the  earl  of  Ar- 
ran  from  the  councils  of  the  young  king,  James  VI. 
Through  the  influence  of  Morton,  who  had  once 
more  gained  an  ascendency  in  the  councils  of  the 
nation  and  a  large  influence  with  the  king,  the 
latter  had  scarcely  agreed  to  the  National  Covenant, 
*  Cook's  History  of  the  Church  of  Scotland,  p.  289. 


Ills  TOR  V   OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH       -rw 

abjuring  popery  and  solemnly  engaging  to  support 
the  Protestant  religion,  before  he  turned  baek  and 
attempted  to  revive  the  policy  of  the  former  regent. 
As  the  Assembly  claimed  and  exercised  the  right 
to  control  the  "tulchan"  bishops  manufactured  by 
Morton,  the  king  was  persuaded  to  arrest  the  execu- 
tion of  its  acts  by  means  of  orders  in  council.  If 
the  bishops  were  amenable  to  the  authority  of  the 
Assembly,  then  one  of  the  easiest  and  best  methods 
of  subjecting  the  Church  to  the  civil  power  would 
not  be  available.  And  it  was  to  prevent  this  that 
the  king  and  his  courtiers  bent  all  their  energies. 
If,  on  the  other  hand,  bishops  were  created  by  the 
king  and  allowed  a  place  in  Parliament,  they  being 
his  favorites  and  cringing  sycophants,  the  task  of 
at  least  indirectly  controlling  the  Church  would  be 
comparatively  easy.  Through  the  prelatic  element 
he  could  manage  the  Assembly  and  at  the  same 
time  gratify  the  avarice  of  the  nobility,  who  were 
anxious  to  grasp  the  revenues  of  the  Church.  This 
attempt  upon  their  rights  the  Assembly  boldly 
withstood.  It  forbade  any  one  to  accept  the  office 
of  bishop  under  the  penalty  of  excommunication. 
There  was,  of  course,  an  immediate  collision  between 
the  jurisdictions,  civil  and  ecclesiastical.  The  ques- 
tion was  a  vital  one  to  the  Church,  being  nothing 
more  or  less  than  whether  it  would  surrender  its 
spiritual  independence.  To  force  it  to  yield,  all  the 
terrors  as  well  as  all  the  bribes  the  court  could 
offer  were  brought  into  requisition.     But  the  As- 


58  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

sembly  was  firm  and  equal  to  the  emergency.  A 
spirited  remonstrance  was  drawn  up,  and  a  deputa- 
tion appointed,  with  Andrew  Melville  at  its  head, 
to  present  it  to  the  king.  In  this  remarkable 
paper  they  address  him  in  these  bold  and  coura- 
geous words :  "  Your  Majesty,  by  device  of  some 
councillors,  is  caused  to  take  upon  you  a  spiritual 
power  and  authority  which  properly  belongeth 
unto  Christ  as  only  King  and  Head  of  the  Church, 
the  ministry  and  the  execution  whereof  is  only 
given  unto  such  as  bear  office  in  the  ecclesiastical 
government  in  the  same,  so  that  in  Your  High- 
ness' person  some  men  press  to  erect  a  new  pope- 
dom." When  the  remonstrance  was  presented  and 
read  to  the  king  in  council,  the  earl  of  Arran,  with 
a  threatening  countenance,  asked,  "  Who  dares  sub- 
scribe these  treasonable  articles  ?"  "  We  dare  !" 
replied  Melville;  and  advancing  to  the  table,  he 
took  the  pen  from  the  clerk  and  subscribed.  The 
other  commissioners  followed  his  example. 

This  was  a  bold  deed,  and  it  provoked  the  ven- 
geance of  the  court.  Though  the  deputation  es- 
caped personal  violence,  the  matter  was  not  allowed 
to  rest.  The  chief  oifender  was  summoned  to  ap- 
pear before  the  privy-council  to  answer  for  sedi- 
tious and  treasonable  speeches,  which  it  was  charged 
he  had  uttered  in  his  sermon  and  prayers  on  a  fast- 
day ;  and  although  declining  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
court  because  his  judges  were  not  capable  of  decid- 
ing  according  to    Scripture  upon    his    ministerial 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.        59 

conduct,  he  was  found  guilty  in  the  absence  of  all 
criminating  evidence,  and  sentenced  to  be  im- 
prisoned in  Blackness  castle  and  punished  in  his 
person  and  goods  at  His  Majesty's  pleasure.  By 
the  importunity  of  his  friends  Melville  was  in- 
duced to  fly  to  Berwick,  and  thus  escape  punish- 
ment. 

The  ensuing  Parliament,  May,  1584,  proceeded 
by  a  series  of  acts  to  destroy  altogether  the  inde- 
pendence of  the  Church.  By  these  it  was  made 
treasonable  to  impugn  the  power  and  authority 
of  the  three  estates  of  the  kingdom,  by  which  all 
that  the  Assemblies  had  done  to  abolish  prelacy 
was  condemned ;  no  ecclesiastical  court  could  be 
held  without  the  special  command  and  license  of 
the  king,  thus  rendering  unlawful  the  meetings  of 
presbyteries,  synods  and  General  Assemblies;  and 
it  was  forbidden,  under  the  severest  penalties,  that 
any  one,  either  in  public  or  private,  should  presume 
to  censure  the  conduct  of  the  king  or  his  council. 
These  despotic  acts,  generally  spoken  of  as  the 
Black  Acts,  struck  a  blow  at  once  at  civil  and 
ecclesiastical  freedom.  Yet  were  they  basely  sub- 
mitted to  by  the  nobility,  barons  and  gentry.  Not 
so,  however,  were  they  treated  by  the  ministers. 
They  denounced  them  and  protested  against  them 
in  the  name  of  the  Church  of  Scotland.  Presby- 
terianisra  in  this  sad  crisis,  as  afterward,  was  the 
standard-bearer  of  the  liberties  of  the  nation. 

The  danger  t)  the  State,  as  well  as  the  Church, 


60  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

was  imminent.  Such  was  the  violence  of  those  in 
power  that  more  than  twenty  ministers  were 
obliged  to  save  their  lives  by  flight.  And  when 
direct  persecution  ceased,  the  king  still  proceeded 
in  his  measures  to  establish  episcopacy.  But  the 
tide  of  popular  feeling  was  against  him;  and  when 
this  was  reinforced  by  the  patriotism  shown  by 
the  ministers  and  members  of  the  Church  at  the 
appearance  of  the  Spanish  Armada  in  1588,  and 
by  the  prudent  administration  of  the  affairs  of  the 
kingdom  by  Robert  Bruce,  one  of  the  Edinburgh 
ministers,  who  had  been  made  an  extraordinary 
member  of  the  privy-council,  the  king  was  in- 
duced to  desist  from  the  rash  and  foolish  project 
of  restoring  prelacy. 

At  this  period  James  was  very  favorably  dis- 
posed toward  the  Presbyterian  system  and  ready 
to  adopt  wiser  and  more  moderate  views.  He 
attended  one  of  the  sessions  of  the  Assembly 
(1590),  and  in  reply  to  the  request  that  he  would 
confirm  the  liberties  of  the  Church,  banish  the 
papists  and  provide  a  proper  support  for  all  par- 
ish ministers,  he  said,  "The  first  were  confirmed 
by  Parliament,  the  second  had  ever  been  his  en- 
deavor, and  he  wished  a  committee  appointed  to 
meet  with  his  council  to  devise  a  plan  by  which 
the  third  object  might  be  secured."  In  answer  to 
an  English  divine  who  expressed  great  surprise 
that  the  Church  of  Scotland  was  never  troubled 
with    heresy,   he    is  said   to   have  replied  in   sub- 


HISTORY  QF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.        CI 

stance  that  it  was  owing  entirely  to  the  fact  of 
that  Church  having  well-defined  and  reglllarly- 
graded  courts  for  the  trial  of  all  offenders;  and 
if  not  discovered  and  punished  by  the  session, 
presbytery  or  synod,  the  General  Assembly.  "  I'll 
warrant  you,  will  not  spare  him."  It  was  also  in 
response  to  overtures  of  the  Assembly  of  1590 
that  he  pronounced  his  well-known  panegyric  of 
the  Church  of  Scotland  :  "  I  praise  God  that  I 
was  born  in  such  a  time,  to  such  a  place,  as  to 
be  king  of  such  a  Kirk,  the  sincerest  Kirk  of  the 
world;"  and  then,  declaring  it  to  be  superior  to 
either  the  churches  of  Geneva  or  England,  he 
exhorts  ministers  and  people  to  preserve  its  purity, 
and  closes  with  pledging  himself,  "so  long  as  he 
brooked  his  life  and  crown,  to  maintain  the  same 
against  all  deadly."* 

In  consequence  of  the  friendly  disposition  of 
the  king,  Presbyterians,  through  their  Assembly, 
were  emboldened  to  ask,  and  Parliament  at  once 
passed,  an  act  ratifying  the  form  of  government 
as  then  administered  by  General  Assemblies,  syn- 
ods, presbyteries  and  sessions,  defining  the  pow- 
ers of  these  judicatories  and  reversing  all  acts 
inconsistent  with  this  polity.  Thus  was  Presby- 
tery legally  declared  to  be  the  Constitution  of 
the  Church  of  Scotland.  This  parliamentary 
sanction  was  in  the  highest  degree  satisfactory 
and  valuable  to  the  ministers.  Secured  against 
*  Cook,  vol.  i.,  p.  4-r)0. 


62  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

opposition,  they  were  in  a  much  better  position  to 
promote  the  public  welfare,  and  could  now  de- 
vote themselves  to  the  spiritual  interests  of  the 
people. 


CHAPTER   II. 

From  the  Charter  of  the  Church  to  the 
Renewing  of  the  Covenant. 

The  state  of  tranquillity  arising  from  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  Presbyterian  Church  was  of  short 
duration,  owing  to  the  vacillating  policy  of  the 
king.  The  principles,  spirit  and  discipline  of  the 
Protestant  Church  just  established  were  too  pure 
and  sacred  to  suit  the  crafty  and  despotic  monarch 
or  his  avaricious  and  dissolute  courtiers.  His  past 
experience  had  taught  him  that  he  could  neither 
deceive  by  his  arts  nor  overawe  by  his  threaten- 
ings  the  high-souled  ministers  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church.  Their  freedom,  therefore,  must  be 
circumscribed  as  far  as  possible,  and  their  influ- 
ence diminished,  even  if  it  periled  the  safety  of 
the  kingdom.  Accordingly,  papists  were  again 
restored  to  favor  at  court,  and  priests  and  Jesuits 
became  once  more  active  in  the  government.  Soon 
another  conspiracy  was  formed,  under  the  lead  of 
certain  popish  earls,  who  were  promised  assistance 
in  their  efforts  to  suppress  Protestantism  and  estab- 
lish the  Romish  religion   in  Scotland.     An  army 

63 


64  SCOTCH  AND   IRISH  SEEDS. 

furnished  by  the  king  of  Spain  was  relied  upon  as 
their  efficient  ally. 

The  ministers,  as  usual,  were  the  first  to  appre- 
hend the  danger,  the  most  forward  in  their  loy- 
alty to  the  king  and  most  valiant  in  the  defence  of 
the  kingdom  against  the  threatened  invasion.  But 
notwithstanding  that  the  conspiracy  was  detected 
and  exposed  and  the  popish  noblemen  apprehended, 
the  king  exerted  his  powerful  influence  to  shield 
them  from  merited  punishment;  and  when  the 
General  Assembly  proceeded  to  excommunicate 
two  of  the  conspirators,  who  by  a  former  sub- 
scription to  the  Confession  of  Faith  were  amenable 
to  its  jurisdiction,  the  act  was  highly  displeasing  to 
the  monarch.  His  resentment  to  these  and  other 
measures  proposed  was  so  great  that  he  threat- 
ened to  call  a  Parliament  for  the  purpose  of  over- 
throwing Presbyterian  ism  and  restoring  prelacy. 
He  was  shrewd  enough  to  perceive  that  he  could 
more  readily  bend  to  his  crafty  design  prelates 
upon  whom  he  had  conferred  wealth  and  titles 
than  ministers  who  derived  nothing  from  him, 
and  who  owed  him  only  natural  allegiance. 

In  1596  the  design  was  seriously  entertained  of 
recalling  the  popish  earls  who  had  been  compelled 
to  fly  the  country  for  being  concerned  in  the  late 
conspiracy.  The  Protestant  ministers  earnestly 
remonstrated  "against  receiving  into  favor  con- 
victed traitors  and  popish  apostates,  enemies  at 
once  of  their  country  and  of  the  gospel."     Their 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.       65 

boldness  and  persistence  offended  the  king.  At 
one  of  their  conferences  with  him  he  charged  them 
with  holding  seditious  meetings  and  unreasonably 
alarming  the  country.  At  this  juncture  Andrew 
Melville  stepped  to  the  front  and  boldly  confront- 
ed the  king.  Seizing  him  by  the  sleeve  of  his 
robe  and  calling  him  "God's  silly  vassal,"  he 
addressed  him  in  a  tone  such  as  rarely  salutes  a 
royal  ear  from  the  lips  of  a  loyal  subject.  "Sir," 
said  he,  uas  divers  times  before  I  have  told  you, 
so  now  again  I  must  tell  you,  there  are  two  kings 
and  two  kingdoms  in  Scotland :  there  is  King 
James,  the  head  of  the  commonwealth,  and  there 
is  Christ  Jesus,  the  King  of  the  Church,  whose 
subject  James  VI.  is,  and  of  whose  kingdom 
he  is  not  a  king  nor  a  lord  nor  a  head,  but 
a  member.  Sir,  those  whom  Christ  has  called 
and  commanded  to  watch  over  his  Church  have 
power  and  authority  from  Him  to  govern  his  spir- 
itual kingdom,  the  which  no  Christian  king  or 
prince  should  control  and  discharge,  but  fortify 
and  assist.  We  will  yield  to  you  your  place  and 
give  you  all  due  obedience,  but  again  I  say  you 
are  not  the  head  of  the  Church ;  you  cannot  give 
us  that  eternal  life  which  we  seek  for  even  in  this 
world,  and  you  cannot  deprive  us  of  it.  Permit 
us,  then,  fi-eely  to  meet  in  the  name  of  Christ  and 
attend  to  the  interests  of  that  Church  of  which 
you  are  chief  member." 

These  were  certainly  very  plain  as  well  as  bold 

5 


66  SCOTCH  AND   IRISH  SEEDS. 

sentiments  to  address  to  a  monarch.  But  the  oc- 
casion rendered  the  language  justifiable.  Under 
their  power  the  king's  passion  cooled  ;  his  heart 
was  awed  and  he  showed  that,  he  felt  the  influence 
of  the  truth  which  had  been  so  clearly  and  forci- 
bly presented.  He  did  not  attempt  to  dispute  the 
principle  to  which  he  had  just  listened,  but  de- 
clared that  the  popish  earls  had  returned  to  Scot- 
land without  his  knowledge,  and  finally  dismissed 
the  ministers  with  fair  promises.  The  Church  was 
once  more  proving  itself  the  guardian  of  civil 
while  contending  for  religious  liberty.  The  lattei 
cannot  long  exist  without  producing  the  former, 
and  civil  freedom  cannot  long  survive  spiritual 
bondage. 

The  promises  of  the  king  were  soon  found  un- 
reliable. Measures  were  adopted  to  restore  the 
popish  conspirators  and  to  admit  Romish  adhe- 
rents to  royal  favor.  These  were  strongly  pro- 
tested against  by  the  Assembly,  which  appointed 
a  day  of  humiliation  and  prayer  in  view  of  the 
imminent  danger,  and  summoned  an  extraordi- 
nary council  of  the  Church  to  consult  as  to  what 
was  needed  to  avert  the  peril.  The  contest  soon 
became  an  avowed  one  on  the  part  of  the  king, 
who  perceived  that  deceit  could  not  secure  his  de- 
sign ;  and  as  the  freedom  of  ecclesiastical  meetings 
was  becoming  more  and  more  offensive  to  him, 
he  determined  to  make  an  open  assault  upon  this 
privilege  of  the  Church.      In  an   interview  with 


HISTORY  OF  THE  scotch  CHURCH.       67 

some  of  the  ministers  he  told  them  plainly  that 
there  could  be  no  agreement  between  them  and 
him  "till  the  marches  of  their  jurisdiction  were 
rid,"  and  he  claimed  that  no  Assembly  should 
be  convened  except  by  his  special  command,  and 
that  nothing  that  was  done  should  be  valid  until 
ratified  by  him.  Nor  were  they  left  in  doubt 
as  to  his  ultimate  purpose.  In  his  work  enti- 
tled Free  Law  of  Free  Monarchies  he  distinctly 
claimed  that  "  a  king  was  free  to  do  what  he 
pleases,"  that  his  will  "is  above  all  law  with  a 
parliament,"  whose  duty  it  is  to  execute  his  com- 
mands and  for  the  people  passively  to  obey  ;  and  in 
his  Basilicon  Doron,  wherein  he  gives  instructions 
to  his  son  Henry,  James  asserts  "that  the  office 
of  a  king  is  of  a  mixed  kind,  civil  and  ecclesias- 
tical, and  that  a  principal  part  of  his  function  con- 
sists in  ruling  the  Church."  To  these  claims  the 
Presbyterians  of  Scotland  would  not  for  a  single 
moment  yield.  With  protestations  of  loyalty  as 
civil  subjects,  they  repudiated  the  iniquitous  claim 
of  the  monarch  to  ecclesiastical  control.  They 
stood  ready  to  sacrifice  all  else  before  the  supreme 
headship  of  Christ. 

The  contest  which  was  now  fairly  entered  upon, 
was  a  long  and  arduous  one.  At  first  the  king  and 
his  council  endeavored  to  carry  their  ends  by  vio- 
lence. One  of  the  most  zealous  of  the  Presby- 
terian clergy  was  put  on  trial  for  treasonable  words 
said  to  have  been  used  in  a  sermon,  and,  by  order 


68  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

of  the  court,  was  banished.  The  ministers  of 
Edinburgh  were  obliged  to  withdraw  from  their 
parishes  to  avoid  punishment  for  the  stand  they 
had  taken.  All  these  things,  however,  were  un- 
availing, and  were,  besides,  not  in  accordance  with 
the  king's  taste.  He  much  preferred  to  accom- 
plish his  designs  by  the  use  of  kingcraft.  Ac- 
cordingly, he  caused  to  be  drawn  up  fifty-five 
questions  concerning  the  government  and  disci- 
pline of  the  Church  and  published  them  in  his 
name,  and  called  a  convention  of  estates  and  a 
meeting  of  the  General  Assembly  in  Perth  to 
consider  these  questions.  Having  no  hope  of 
securing  an  acquiescence  in  his  scheme  on  the 
part  of  men  who  had  shown  a  willingness  to  suf- 
fer and  die  rather  than  violate  their  duty  to  God, 
he  brought  into  requisition  his  kingcraft,  and 
sought  to  gain  his  ends  by  the  introduction  of 
ambitious  and  unprincipled  men  into  the  As- 
sembly. 

A  messenger  from  the  court  was  sent  to  the  north- 
ern  part  of  the  kingdom  to  induce  the  ministers 
from  these  remote  districts  to  meet  at  Perth  on  the 
day  appointed  by  the  king.  By  artful  misrepre- 
sentations, by  flatteries  and  by  exciting  a  spirit  of 
jealousy  against  their  brethren  in  the  south,  the 
royal  emissary  succeeded  in  gaining  a  majority  of 
the  members  of  the  Assembly.  Was  this  a  law- 
ful body  ?  This  question  was  decided,  after  a 
three  days'  debate,  in  the   affirmative,  and    then 


HISTORY   OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.        09 

answers  ^ere  given  to  the  leading  propositions 
submitted  to  them  by  His  Majesty,  which  he  was 
pleased  to  regard  as  the  sanction  of  the  Church  to 
his  measures.  In  this  way  he  partly  accomplished 
by  stratagem  what  force  and  persecution  could  not 
effect. 

His  next  step  was  to  induce  the  Assembly  to  ap- 
point a  committee  of  fourteen  ministers,  with  whom 
he  might  advise  u  in  all  affairs  concerning  the  weal 
of  the  Church."  Through  this,  his  ecclesiastical 
council,  he  was  able  more  leisurely  to  mature  his 
devices  and  introduce  them  into  the  Church.  Nor 
was  he  slow  to  use  this  advantage.  At  the  very 
next  meeting  of  the  Assembly  he  induced  this 
council  to  petition  Parliament,  requesting  that  the 
Church  might  be  represented  in  that  body  and 
have  a  voice  in  its  decisions.  The  petition, 
through  the  king's  influence,  was  granted  by  Par- 
liament, and  prelacy  was  declared  the  third  estate 
of  the  kingdom.  The  spiritual  power  of  the 
prelates  who  were  raised  to  this  dignity  was  subse- 
quently to  be  arranged  by  the  king  and  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly.  In  this  insidious  way  episcopacy 
was  introduced,  "a  wedge  being  taken  out  of  the 
Church  to  rend  her  with  her  own  forces."  * 

The    more  clear-sighted    of   the    ministers   saw 

through  the  artful  measure  and  protested  against 

it.     The  venerable  Ferguson  denounced  it  as  the 

Trojan  ho  se,  and  Davidson,  making  use  of   this 

*  Calderwood. 


70  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

illustration,  said,  "Busk,  busk  him  as  bonilie  as 
ye  can,  and  bring  him  in  as  fairly  as  ye  will,  we 
see  him  well  enough ;  we  see  the  horns  of  his 
mitre."  Bruce  and  James  Melville  also  stren- 
uously opposed  the  royal  scheme,  Andrew  Mel- 
ville having  been  prohibited  by  the  king  from 
taking  his  seat  in  the  Assembly.  But  by  menaces 
and  by  bribes,  and  by  the  removal  of  the  Assembly 
to  Dundee  for  the  convenience  of  the  northern 
ministers,  a  bare  majority  was  secured  in  favor  of 
the  project  to  make  the  clergy  the  third  estate  in 
the  kingdom. 

The  permission  of  the  Assembly,  which  had  been 
secured  chiefly  through  the  votes  of  the  elders,  was 
guarded  by  many  wise  restrictions,  but  the  king  dis- 
regarded them  whenever  it  was  his  interest  so  to  do. 
These  restrictions  were  designed  to  protect  the  liber- 
ties of  the  Church,  especially  against  the  encroach- 
ments of  prelacy.  The  title  of  bishop  was  not  to  be 
applied  to  those  holding  a  seat  in  Parliament,  but 
that  of  commissioner.  Six  were  to  be  nominated 
by  the  Assembly  in  each  province,  one  of  whom 
should  be  chosen  by  the  king,  as  its  ecclesiastical 
representative,  and  it  was  provided  that  they  were 
not  to  propose  anything  to  Parliament  without  the 
Church's  express  warrant  and  direction.  They 
were  also  to  render  an  account  of  their  work  to 
the  Assembly,  and  in  all  parts  of  ecclesiastical 
government  and  discipline  they  were  not  to  claim 
any    more   power    than    what    belonged    to    other 


HIST*  BY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.        71 

ministers.  All  these  restrictions,  however,  availed 
nothing.  At  a  meeting  of  the  commissioners  in 
the  following  October,  while  certain  of  the  most 
decided  opponents  of  the  king's  scheme  were  ab- 
sent from  the  house,  James  summarily  nominated 
David  Lindsay,  Peter  Blackburn  and  George 
Gladstanes  to  the  vacant  bishoprics  of  Ross, 
Aberdeen  and  Caithness.  These  men  afterward 
took  their  place  in  Parliament,  and  voted  in  direct 
violation  of  the  "  caveats "  or  cautions  to  which 
they  had  but  recently  consented.  Still,  the  free 
spirit  of  the  Assembly  was  a  great  check  upon 
them.  The  struggle  went  on  for  tire  next  twenty 
years  with  scarcely  an  intermission.  Leading 
ministers  were  either  banished  or  imprisoned, 
many  others  were  intimidated  or  bribed,  until,  by 
the  aid  of  the  nobility  and  a  subservient  Parlia- 
ment, the  king  won  a  victory  disgraceful  alike  to 
the  vanquished  and  to  the  victor. 

One  of  the  first  measures  of  the  monarch  in  this 
long  tissue  of  trickery  was  to  summon  and  dis- 
miss Assemblies  by  virtue  of  his  royal  prerogative. 
This  was  a  plain  infringement  of  the  rights  of 
the  Church,  for  the  act  of  1592  stipulated  that  the 
Assembly  should  meet  at  least  once  a  year,  and 
that  the  commissioners  were  annually  to  render  to 
:t  an  account  of  their  conduct.  After  proroguing 
and  altering  the  times  of  Assemblies  at  pleasure, 
James  at  last  ventured  to  prorogue  indefinitely  the 
one  which  should  have  met  at  Aberdeen  in  1605. 


72  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

To  all  persons  it  was  now  clear  that  the  king  was 
resolved  to  suppress  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  to 
set  up  prelacy  in  its  place.  But  a  few  faithful  men 
were  determined  that  the  liberties  of  the  Church 
should  not  be  surrendered  without  one  more  strug- 
gle, and  accordingly  they  met  at  Aberdeen  at  the 
time  appointed.  When  the  king  heard  of  the 
meeting,  he  ordered  his  commissioner  to  dissolve 
it.  But  the  Assembly  resolved  to  constitute  itself 
before  reading  the  communication.  A  moderator 
was  chosen,  and  the  message  was  then  listened  to. 
But  while  the  reading  was  going  on  a  messenger- 
at-arms  arrived  and  ordered  the  Assembly  to  dis- 
perse on  pain  of  rebellion.  The  members  consented 
to  do  so  if  the  commissioner  would  name  a  place 
for  the  next  meeting  of  the  Assembly.  This  he 
refused  to  do.  The  reason  was  obvious,  and  the 
Assembly  itself  made  an  appointment. 

When  informed  of  their  action,  His  Majesty  was 
greatly  incensed.  Such  a  bold  measure  could  not 
be  overlooked.  By  his  orders  fourteen  of  the 
ministers,  including  John  Forbes,  the  moderator, 
and  John  Welsh,  son-in-law  of  Knox,  were  appre- 
hended, cast  into  prison,  and  put  on  trial  before 
the  privy-council  for  high  treason.  A  packed  jury, 
by  a  majority  of  three,  found  six  of  them  guilty, 
who,  after  suffering  fourteen  months'  confinement 
in  the  castle  of  Blackness,  were  banished  to 
France.  The  others,  by  a  like  perversion  of  law 
and  justice,  would  have  shared  their  fate  had  not 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.        73 

public  sympathy  for  the  sufferers  made  it  evident 
that  it  was  unsafe  to  proceed  with  their  trial.  For 
most  of  them,  however,  the  respite  was  very  brief. 
Before  the  next  Parliament  six  of  the  most  distin- 
guished of  them,  including  both  the  Mel vi lies, 
were  commanded  to  meet  the  king  in  London  (for 
James  was  now  king  both  of  England  and  Scot- 
land), on  the  pretext  that  he  wished  to  treat  with 
them  "respecting  such  things  as  would  settle  the 
peace  of  the  Church."  When  admitted  to  an  audi- 
ence, they  were  questioned  about  the  Aberdeen  As- 
sembly, and  such  a  construction  put  upon  their  re- 
plies as  furnished  the  desired  pretence  for  instituting 
judicial  proceedings.  On  a  despicable  charge  An- 
drew Melville  was  arraigned  for  trial ;  and,  not- 
withstanding his  able  and  eloquent  defence,  he 
was  committed  to  the  Tower  of  London.  After 
four  years'  imprisonment  he  was  banished  to 
France,  where  he  remained  until  his  death.  His 
nephew,  James  Melville,  was  prohibited  from  re- 
turning to  Scotland,  and  the  remaining  four  minis- 
ters to  their  parishes.  In  this  way  the  perfidious 
monarch  was  enabled  to  secure  the  triumph  of  his 
scheme  by  striking  down  the  free-spirited  men  who 
had  resisted  it.  Surely  nothing  more  is  needed  to 
form  a  correct  judgment  between  the  two  systems  of 
presbytery  and  prelacy  than  the  methods  which  it 
was  found  necessary  to  employ  to  establish  each  in 
Scotland.  The  former  won  the  hearts  of  the  peo- 
ple by  the  faithful  preaching  of  the  word  and  by  the 


74  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

pure,  pious  and  self-sacrificing  lives  of  its  minis- 
ters ;  the  latter  was  forced  upon  them  by  arbitrary 
power,  by  treachery,  by  corruption  and  by  per- 
secution. 

Other  steps  in  this  succession  of  intrigue,  intimi- 
dation and  bribery  were  to  appoint  the  bishops 
constant  moderators  in  all  meetings  of  presbyteries 
and  synods,  to  restore  to  the  bishops  the  civil 
jurisdiction  formerly  held  by  the  popish  prelates  ; 
and  that  they  might  exercise  the  power  thus  con- 
ferred, the  Court  of  High  Commission  was 
instituted. 

This  court  was  composed  of  prelates,  noblemen, 
knights  and  ministers.  It  was  regulated  by  no 
fixed  laws  or  forms  of  justice,  and  was  armed  with 
all  the  power  of  civil  and  ecclesiastical  despotism. 
It  could  receive  appeals  from  church  courts,  de- 
pose and  excommunicate,  fine  and  imprison.  But 
such  was  the  public  feeling  excited  by  these  meas- 
ures of  the  prelates  that  for  several  years  the  court 
prudently  did  but  little  business.  Thus  one  right 
of  the  Church  after  another  was  trampled  under 
foot  by  the  imperious  monarch  'and  his  obsequious 
retainers.  The  bishops  acknowledged  themselves 
his  creatures.  Archbishop  Gladstanes  crouched 
before  the  king  with  all  the  menial  servility  of 
an  Eastern  slave.  He  repaired,  he  said,  to  His 
Majesty's  most  gracious  face,  "  that  so  unworthy 
a  creature  might  both  see,  bless  and  thank  my 
earthly  creator. " 


HISTORY   OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.       75 

In  1617  the  king  indulged  what  he  called  his 
"natural  and  salmon-like  affection  to  see  the  place 
of  his  breeding"  by  a  visit  to  his  native  and  an- 
cient kingdom.  The  chapel  of  Holyrood  House 
was  repaired,  an  organ  was  sent  down  from  Lon- 
don, and  English  carpenters  began  to  set  up  carved 
and  gilded  statues  of  the  apostles.  The  people 
murmured,  the  bishops  were  alarmed,  and  at  their 
solicitation  the  apostles  were  dispensed  with.  The 
liturgy,  however,  was  daily  read,  and  the  purpose 
was  openly  avowed  that  the  royal  example  should 
be  imitated  throughout  the  kingdom.  An  obse- 
quious Parliament,  aided  and  abetted  by  venal 
bishops,  gave  him  full  authority  to  enact  eccle- 
siastical laws  for  the  government  of  the  Church. 
With  this  sanction  of  his  power,  he  no  longer  con- 
cealed his  plans.  He  declared  he  would  never 
more  consent  to  have  matters  ruled  as  they  had 
been  in  General  Assemblies.  "  The  bishops,"  he 
said,  "  must  rule  the  ministers,  and  the  king  rule 
both." 

Against  all  these  usurpations  a  large  body  of 
ministers  protested.  The  cowardice  of  one,  how- 
ever, prevented  their  petition  from  being  placed 
in  the  hands  of  the  king.  But  meeting  with  a 
copy  of  it,  he  flew  into  a  great  passion  and  de- 
nounced the  petitioners.  Some  of  the  ministers 
were  subsequently  treated  with  great  cruelty,  and 
even  the  bishops  were  severely  reprimanded  and 
called  dolts  and  deceivers  for  inducing  him  to  be- 


76  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

lieve  that  the  people  of  Scotland  were  in  favor  of 
prela  ;y. 

In  the  Assembly  which  met  at  Aberdeen  in 
1616  the  prelatical  party  presented  a  new  Confes- 
sion of  Faith.  The  articles  were  afterward  put 
into  form  and  submitted  for  adoption  to  the  As- 
sembly of  Perth,  1618,  which  was  ordered  to  meet 
by  royal  mandate.  Every  possible  device  which 
a  despot  could  employ  was  brought  into  requisi- 
tion to  ensure  a  majority  of  commissioners  favor- 
able to  his  scheme.  The  prelates  addressed  the 
Assembly  in  a  domineering  tone,  and  in  the  name 
of  their  master  threatened  those  who  should  re- 
fuse to  adopt  the  articles,  that  their  names  would 
be  marked  and  sent  to  His  Majesty  for  punish- 
ment. Though  thus  menaced,  there  were  forty- 
five  ministers  who  stood  true  to  their  principles, 
and  the  Five  Articles  of  Perth,  as  they  are  called, 
were  adopted  by  but  a  small  majority.  These 
articles  were  kneeling  at  the  communion,  the  ob- 
servance of  holidays,  episcopal  confirmation  and 
the  private  dispensation  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 
Parliament  three  years  after  sanctioned  these  rites, 
and  thus  by  its  vote  was  the  constitution  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Scotland  subverted.  This 
day,  the  25th  of  July,  1621,  was  marked  by  low- 
ering clouds,  deepening  gloom,  hail  and  tempest, 
and  was  long  known  as  the  Black  Saturday — 
"  black,"  says  Calderwood,  "  with  man's  guilt  and 
w'th  the  frowns  of  Heaven." 


WTSTOR  Y  OF  THE  S(  '01 1  7/   (  7/ 1  'IK  'If.        i  i 

The  ratification  of  the  five  articles  of  Pertli  by 
Parliament  gave  the  bishops  the  constitutional 
sanction  they  desired.  They  at  once  began  to 
enforce  the  obnoxious  rites.  But  civil  and  eccle- 
siastical authority  combined  were  unequal  to  im- 
pose them  on  an  unwilling  people,  as  the  unavail- 
ing contest  for  the  next  twenty  years  proved.  The 
court  of  High  Commission,  urged  by  the  king,  pro- 
ceeded against  those  ministers  who  refused  to  con- 
form to  the  recent  acts  of  Parliament.  The  cruel 
treatment  of  John  Welsh  and  Robert  Bruce  indi- 
cated the  spirit  with  which  submission  would  be 
enforced.  It  was  not  the  fathers  alone,  but  every 
eminent  minister  in  the  kingdom  was  persecuted. 
If  they  could  be  induced  to  subscribe  the  Perth 
articles,  the  prelates  hoped  their  people  would 
either  yield  to  their  example  or  become  alienated 
from  them.  Pursuing  their  cruel  plan,  they  sum- 
moned before  them  Messrs.  Dickson,  Dunbar,  Row, 
Murray  and  Johnstone — men  eminent  for  their  piety 
and  talents,  and  greatly  beloved  in  their  parishes. 
At  first  entreaty  and  then  threats  were  used  to  in- 
duce them  to  submit,  and  their  refusal  was  followed 
by  banishment  to  different  parts  of  the  kingdom. 
Attention  was  next  directed  to  the  universities, 
and  the  principal  of  Edinburgh  College,  the 
celebrated  Robert  Boyd,  was  forced  to  resign,  and 
Robert  Blair  was  deprived  of  his  professorship  in 
Glasgow  and  obliged  to  retire  to  Ireland.  Stu- 
dents, moreover,  were  constrained  to  take  an  oath 


78  SCOTCH  AND   IRISH  SEEDS. 

to  submit  to  the  prelatic  form  of  church  govern- 
ment before  they  were  allowed  to  preach.  Non- 
conforming ministers  continued  to  be  displaced, 
congregations  were  compelled  to  do  without  the 
ordinances  unless  they  would  receive  them  con- 
joined with  superstitious  rites,  and  all  the  oppres- 
sive enactments  of  previous  years  were  enforced 
during  the  remainder  of  James'  reign. 

After  his  death,  which  took  place  1625,  minis- 
ters and  people  had  a  brief  respite  from  persecu- 
tion. This  they  owed  to  the  fact  that  the  court 
of  High  Commission  expired  with  the  king  who 
had  created  it.  But  his  successor,  Charles  I.,  be- 
gan almost  immediately  to  carry  out  the  policy 
of  his  father.  He  directed  that  the  affairs  of  the 
Church  should  proceed  as  in  the  previous  reign, 
and,  inspired  by  that  despicable  creature  Laud,  he 
instituted  new  measures  to  harass  Protestants  and 
to  restore  the  prelates  to  their  possession  of  church 
property,  while  to  all  the  just  grievances  of  a  suf- 
fering people  he  turned  a  deaf  ear. 

Being  refused  relief  and  redress  by  their  earthly 
monarch,  the  more  fervent  were  the  supplications 
of  the  persecuted  to  the  King  of  kings.  As  very 
many  of  the  best  and  most  pious  ministers  were 
prohibited  from  laboring  in  their  own  parishes, 
they  went  from  one  district  to  another  throughout 
the  kingdom,  kindling  the  sacred  fire  that  burned 
so  brightly  on  the  altar  of  their  own  hearts.  Soon 
a  powerful    revival   of  religion   began   under  the 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.       79 

preaching  01  such  men  as  Bruce,  Dickson  and 
Livingstone,  which  continued  for  several  years  and 
extended  over  a  wide  region  and  to  all  classes  of 
society.  While  the  latter  was  preaching  at  the 
kirk  of  Shotts  the  converting  power  of  the  Spirit 
was  so  graciously  displayed  that  nearly  five  hun- 
dred persons  were  born  again.  This  fresh  baptism 
of  the  Spirit  was  what  the  people  needed  to  con- 
firm their  resolution  and  inspire  them  with  cour- 
age for  the  impending  conflict  with  prelacy  and 
despotism. 

The  struggle  was  near  at  hand.  It  was  precipi- 
tated by  the  infatuation  of  the  enemies  of  the 
Church.  Though  unable  to  enforce  obedience 
to  the  Perth  articles,  except  to  a  very  limited  ex- 
tent, the  more  ardent  and  least  wise  of  the  prelatists 
urged  that  a  book  of  canons  and  a  liturgy  should 
be  prepared  for  the  government  and  worship  of 
the  Church.  This  was  done;  and  after  Laud's 
supervision  and  amendment,  the  canons  were  con- 
firmed under  the  great  seal  in  1635.  Among  other 
things,  the  canons  pronounced  excommunication 
upon  all  who  denied  the  king's  supremacy  in 
ecclesiastical  matters,  or  who  asserted  that  the  pre- 
latic  form  of  church  government  was  unscriptural. 
Every  minister  was  obliged  to  adhere  to  the  forms 
prescribed  in  the  liturgy  under  penalty  of  depo- 
sition; which  liturgy  was  not  at  the  tine  in  exist- 
ence. No  General  Assembly  could  be  called 
except    by   the    king,    and    no    private,    meetings 


80  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

could  be  held  by  the  ministers  for  expounding 
the  Scriptures.  Thus  was  it  attempted,  at  one 
and  the  same  time,  by  this  book  of  canons,  to 
subvert  the  entire  constitution  of  the  Church  of 
Scotland.  The  despotic  acts  were  unsparingly 
denounced  by  all  Presbyterians,  and  the  nobility 
were  pleased  to  see  the  offensive  measures  adopted, 
knowing  well  that  all  attempts  to  enforce  the  pro- 
visions of  the  book  of  canons  would  react  upon 
the  prelates,  whose  power  they  wished  diminished, 
as  they  had  usurped  so  many  of  the  highest  offices 
in  the  State. 

A  liturgy  or  book  of  public  worship  was  com- 
pleted in  1636,  which  all  faithful  subjects  were 
commanded  by  the  king  to  receive  and  observe, 
and  an  order  was  obtained  from  the  privy-council 
requiring  ministers  in  every  parish  to  provide  two 
copies  of  the  Service-Book  for  the  use  of  their  peo- 
ple. Edinburgh  was  the  place  chosen  where  the 
public  use  of  the  book  was  to  be  commenced.  On 
the  23d  day  of  July,  1637,  the  perilous  experiment 
was  made  by  the  dean  of  that  city  in  the  cathedral 
church  of  St.  Giles.  The  church  was  crowded, 
and  "a  deep  melancholy  calm  brooded  over  the 
congregation,"  presaging  the  fierce  tempest  which 
was  about  to  sweep  away  every  barrier.  At  length 
the  dean,  attired  in  his  surplice,  began  to  read  the 
liturgy,  but  his  voice  was  speedily  drowned  in 
tumultuous  clamor.  An  old  woman,  Jenny  Ged- 
des,  was  the  heroine  of  the  occasion.     "  Villain  !" 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH        81 

she  cried;  "dost  thou  say  mass  at  my  lug?"  and 
with  these  words  hurled  the  stool  on  which  she 
had  been  sitting  at  the  dean's  head.  Others 
quickly  followed  her  example.  Missiles  of  every 
kind  flew,  while  some  of  the  more  impetuous 
rushed  toward  the  desk  to  seize  the  offender. 
Terrified  by  this  sudden  outburst  of  popular 
anger,  the  dean  threw  off  his  surplice  and  fled. 
The  bishop  attempted  to  allay  the  tumult,  but 
was  greeted  with  shouts  of  "  A  pope  !  a  pope ! 
Antichrist !  Stone  him  !  Pull  him  down  !"  and  he 
was  with  great  difficulty  rescued  by  the  magis- 
trates. This  unexpected  storm  of  public  indig- 
nation surprised  and  terrified  the  court-party. 
They  were  prepared  for  and  expected  resistance 
from  some  ministers,  and  these  they  intended  to 
crush  into  the  dust,  but  they  were  stupefied  by 
the  exhibition  of  the  violence  of  the  pent-up 
feelings  of  the  populace.  And  great  as  were 
their  fears,  they  did  not  exaggerate  the  danger. 
This  unlooked-for  tumult  was  the  deathblow  to 
the  liturgy  in  Scotland.  Intelligence  of  what  had 
transpired  in  Edinburgh  soon  spread  through 
the  kingdom,  and  was  the  signal  of  open  resist- 
ance in  other  towns  and  cities.  At  Glasgow, 
Ayr  and  other  places  it  was  found  absolutely 
necessary  to  suspend  the  use  of  the  ser\A  *e.  The 
people  would  no  longer  tamely  submit  to  see  the 
institutions  of  their  fathers  wantonly  violated  and 
overthrown. 


82  SCOTCH  AND    IRISH  SEEDS. 

Petitions  from  ministers  and  letters  from  noble- 
men and  gentlemen  from  all  parts  of  the  country 
were  addressed  to  the  privy-council,  requesting  that 
the  reading  of  the  liturgy  might  not  be  forcibly 
imposed.  To  these  a  favorable  reply  was  received, 
which  very  much  enraged  the  prelates,  as  they 
felt  that  the  nobility  were  about  to  desert  them. 
Through  false  representations  and  the  influence 
of  Laud  they  induced  the  king  to  write  a  sharp, 
reproving  letter  to  the  privy-council.  This  "acted 
like  a  spark  thrown  upon  a  train  of  gunpowder." 
It  roused  all  who  had  the  welfare  of  the  country 
at  heart.  Crowds  of  noblemen  and  gentlemen,  as 
well  as  ministers,  flocked  to  Edinburgh,  where 
they  awaited  the  king's  answer  to  their  petition 
to  suspend  the  use  of  the  liturgy.  The  answer 
was  delayed,  but  when  it  did  come  it  showed 
that  the  king  meant  to  support  the  prelates  in 
their  demands.  It  enjoined  obedience  to  the 
canons  and  the  instant  reception  of  the  service- 
book,  condemning  all  dissent  under  pain  of  trea- 
son. The  crisis  was  upon  them,  and  they  recog- 
nized the  fact  that  they  must  prepare  to  defend 
their  rights  or  bow  their  necks  to  the  despotism 
of  Church  and  State. 

Their  resolution  was  taken  at  once.  The  Na- 
tional Covenant  was  renewed,  with  a  mutual  bond 
on  the  part  of  The  Four  Tables  to  resist  all  inno- 
vations, and  by  all  lawful  means  recover  the  purity 
*nd  liberty  of  the  gospel.     The  Covenant  consisted 


HISTORY   OF   THE  scotch  CHURCH.       83 

of  three  parts — the  old  covenant  of  1581,  the  acts 
of  Parliament  condemning  popery,  and  an  appli- 
cation of  the  whole  to  the  present  circumstances. 
This  proved  to  be  the  Magna  Charta  of  Scottish 
liberties.  It  set  up  an  effectual  barrier  to  the 
encroachments  of  royal  and  prelatical  prerogative. 
The  day  appointed  for  renewing  the  Covenant 
was  the  28th  of  February,  and  the  place  Gray- 
friars'  church,  Edinburgh.  Here,  at  daybreak, 
the  commissioners  met;  the  covenant  was  read  over 
and  all  parts  of  it  deliberately  examined.  As  the 
hour  approached  for  signing  the  bond  of  union 
the  church  and  churchyard  were  packed  with  the 
wisest  and  best  of  Scotland's  men  and  women. 
Henderson  opened  the  meeting  with  an  earnest 
prayer,  and  the  earl  of  Loudon  explained  and 
vindicated  the  object  of  their  assembling.  John- 
stone then  in  a  clear  and  distinct  manner  read  the 
covenant,  while  the  vast  multitude  listened  with 
deep  yet  subdued  feelings  difficult  of  restraint. 
A  solemn  stillness  followed,  which  was  finally 
broken  by  the  earl  of  Rothes  announcing  that  if 
any  had  objections  to  offer,  if  they  would  state 
them,  the  commissioners  would  then  and  there  en- 
deavor to  remove  them.  Another  pause  ensued. 
Was  it  from  any  lack  of  resolution  ?  Having 
gone  so  far,  did  they  hesitate  to  put  their  names 
to  the  bond?  Far  from  it.  They  modestly  de- 
ferred to  each  other  the  high  honor  of  being  the 
first  to  subscribe.     At  last  the  venerable  earl  of 


84  SCOTCH  AND  IRTSH  SEEDS. 

Sutherland  slowly  and  reverentially  came  forward, 
and  with  trembling  hand  put  his  signature  to  the 
Covenant.  Then  name  followed  name  in  rapid 
succession,  until  all  within  the  church  had  signed. 
It  was  then  removed  to  the  churchyard  and  spread 
out  on  a  gravestone,  where  a  still  more  impressive 
scene  was  witnessed.  Some  as  they  subscribed 
wept  aloud,  others  added  the  words  "till  death" 
to  their  names,  others  opened  a  vein  in  their  arms 
and  wrote  their  subscription  with  their  blood.  The 
signatures  were  added  while  there  was  space  left 
for  even  the  initial  letters  to  be  subscribed  ;  and 
this  being  no  longer  possible,  the  people,  with  faces 
bathed  in  tears  and  moved  as  by  one  impulse, 
lifted  up  their  right  hands  to  heaven  and  solemnly 
appealed  to  God  as  to  the  sincerity  of  their  motives 
and  their  future  fidelity  to  the  cause  of  Christ. 

On  the  next  day  the  Covenant  was  again  read, 
when  three  hundred  ministers  at  once  added  their 
names  to  the  large  numbers  that  had  previously 
subscribed.  It  was  then  carried  to  different  parts 
of  the  city  for  signature,  and  wherever  it  appear- 
ed it  was  received  with  great  joy.  Copies  were 
afterward  sent  to  every  part  of  the  kingdom,  and 
before  the  first  of  May  there  were  few  parishes  in 
which  the  Covenant  had  not  been  signed  by  nearly 
all  of  competent  age  and  character.  No  compul- 
sion was  required  or  permitted,  the  subscribers  re- 
garding it  a  high  honor  and  a  solemn  duty.  The 
subscription   was   frequently  accompanied  by  evi- 


History   OF   THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.       85 

dent  tokens  of  the  Spirit's  presence  and  power. 
"I  was  present,"  says  the  celebrated  Livingstone, 
"at  Lanark  and  at  several  other  parishes  when 
on  Sunday,  after  the  forenoon  sermon,  the  Cove- 
nant was  vead  and  sworn,  and  I  may  truly  say 
that  in  all  my  lifetime,  excepting  at  the  kirk  of 
Schotts,  I  never  saw  such  motions  from  the  Spirit 
of  God."  The  sacred  pledge  thus  mutually  given 
to  be  faithful  to  their  country  and  their  God  awed 
and  hallowed  the  souls  of  the  signers.  From  the 
subscription  to  this  renewed  Covenant,  we  may 
date  the  Second  Reformation  in  Scotland. 


CHAPTER    III. 

From  the  Signing  of  the  National  Cove- 
nant to  the  Restoration  of  Charles  II., 
1660. 

The  unanimity  and  cordiality  with  which  the 
Covenant  had  been  received  by  the  Scottish  people 
led  the  prelates  almost  to  despair  of  their  cherished 
schemes.  Spotiswood,  who  better  than  any  other 
understood  those  with  whom  they  had  to  deal,  ex- 
claimed :  "  Now  all  that  we  have  been  doing  these 
thirty  years  past  is  thrown  down  at  once."  All 
parties — the  privy-council,  the  prelates  and  the 
Presbyterians — sent  deputations  to  the  king  in  Lon- 
don to  acquaint  him  with  the  real  state  of  affairs 
in  the  kingdom.  But,  as  usual,  he  heeded  only 
the  partial  and  false  statements  of  the  bishops. 
Their  pernicious  advice  induced  him  to  enter  upon 
measures  which  finally  involved  his  kingdom  in 
the  miseries  of  revolution,  and  cost  the  monarch 
his  life. 

Satisfied  that  it  was  too  dangerous  at  present  to 
attempt  to  compel  obedience  by  force  of  arms,  the 
king  abandoned  all  such  measures.  His  resort  was 
to  negotiation,  whereby  he  hoped  to  divide  the 
Covenanters ;  and   failing  in  this,  he   would  gain 

86 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.        87 

time  to  make  the  requisite  preparations  for  war.  Pie 
appointed,  therefore,  a  commissioner  to  treat  with 
his  Scottish  subjects,  selecting  for  this  purpose  the 
marquis  of  Hamilton.  He  was  authorized  to  em- 
ploy every  method,  however  base,  even  to  pretend 
friendship  and  compassion  for  the  Covenanters, 
only  that  he  might  better  deceive,  circumvent 
and  overpower  them.  On  June  19,  1638,  the 
commissioner  made  his  public  entry  into  Edin- 
burgh in  great  state.  Approaching  the  city,  sixty 
thousand  people  received  him,  ranged  for  miles  in 
ranks  along  the  seaside.  These  were  in  large  part 
composed  of  nobles  and  gentry  from  all  parts  of 
the  country,  and  the  ministers  and  people  who  had 
signed  the  Covenant;  and  while  thus  showing  their 
loyalty  to  their  king  in  things  temporal,  they  be- 
sought Hamilton  with  tears  to  persuade  him  to 
grant  a  redress  of  their  grievances.  But  Charles 
and  his  bishops  were  not  to  be  dissuaded.  The 
Covenanters  demanded  that  a  free  General  Assembly 
should  be  called,  where  the  conduct  of  the  prelates 
should  be  investigated,  and  a  Parliament,  by  which 
all  unconstitutional  acts  might  be  rescinded.  Then 
began  a  long  series  of  measures  by  the  monarch  and 
his  commissioner,  designed  to  outwit,  intimidate, 
divide  or  gain  over  the  adherents  to  the  Covenant. 
All  their  efforts,  however,  proved  a  failure.  The 
Presbyterians  remained  united  and  stood  firmly  by 
their  principles.  The  king  was  most  reluctantly 
constrained    to   allow    the   convening   of  "  a  free 


88  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

General  Assembly"  at  Glasgow,  and  the  meeting 
of  a  Parliament  at  Edinburgh,  "  for  settling  and 
confirming  peace  in  Church  and  State."  In  the 
mean  time,  he  prohibited  the  enforcement  of  the 
Book  of  Canons,  the  Liturgy  and  the  Five  Articles 
of  Perth,  and  abolished  the  court  of  High  Commis- 
sion. These  were  indeed  great  concessions ;  and 
had  the  Covenanters  been  able  to  place  any  reli- 
ance upon  the  king's  sincerity,  they  would  have 
been  generally  satisfactory.  But  the  act  itself 
convening  the  Assembly  was  open  to  suspicion,  in 
that  the  religion  to  be  maintained  was  what  was 
"  at  present  professed  ;"  and  besides,  the  bishops 
whose  conduct  was  to  be  investigated  were  made 
constituent  members  of  the  very  court  that  was 
to  try  them. 

Care  was  taken  by  the  Presbyterians  to  have  the 
Assembly  constituted  according  to  the  principles 
of  their  Church.  Deputations  were  sent  to  the 
presbyteries  with  instructions  how  to  act  in  the 
emergency.  They  were  successful  in  securing  the 
return  as  commissioners  of  the  ablest  of  the  minis- 
ters, and  the  most  influential  of  the  nobility  and 
gentry  as  ruling  elders. 

The  Assembly  met  November  21,  1638,  in  Glas- 
gow, and  consisted  of  two  hundred  and  thirty- 
eight  members,  of  whom  three-fifths  were  minis- 
ters. Alexander  Henderson,  acknowledged  to  be 
'-.he  fittest  man  by  reason  of  his  self-command  and 


HISTORY  OF   Till':  scutch  CHURCH.       89 

sound  judgment,  was  chosen  moderator.  The 
king's  commissioner  appeared,  and  contested  every 
step  of  the  Assembly's  proceedings.  Among  other 
things  he  wished  to  have  the  paper  from  the  prel- 
ates declining  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Assembly 
read  before  the  body  was  properly  constituted. 
But  this  was  negatived,  as  had  been  his  other  pro- 
posals. As  soon  as  the  commissions  of  the  mem- 
bers were  examined  and  the  integrity  of  the  court 
rendered  sure,  the  declinature  of  the  bishops  was 
presented  by  their  procurator,  Dr.  Hamilton.  To 
this  a  committee  made  answer,  and  the  Assembly 
by  a  vote  declared  itself  competent  to  judge  the 
bishops.  The  commissioner  at  once  forbade  the 
Assembly  to  proceed,  and  in  the  name  of  the  king 
required  it  to  dissolve. 

It  was  a  critical  moment.  Should  the  Assem- 
bly recede  from  the  position  which  it  had  just 
taken  or  surrender  its  rights  to  the  dictate  of  the 
royal  commissioner?  If  the  members  receded, 
they  might  just  as  well  admit  all  the  claims  of 
the  monarch  to  control  the  Church.  Against  this 
act  of  Hamilton,  Henderson,  Loudon  and  Rothes, 
all  ably  reasoned  and  expressed  their  regret;  and 
while  the  commissioner  was  retiring,  having  once 
more  declared  the  Assembly  dissolved,  a  protest 
was  read  by  the  clerk  against  his  proceedings,  the 
protestors  maintaining  it  to  be  their  duty  to  re- 
main in  session  until  the  important  duties  were 
done   for    which    they  had    been    called    together. 


90  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

And  when  the  question  came  to  a  vote,  it  was 
carried  almost  unanimously  in  the  Assembly. 

With  the  exception  of  one  or  two,  all  the  mem- 
bers remained  at  their  posts.  With  great  promp- 
titude the  Assembly  nullified  the  six  corrupt 
Assemblies  from  1606-1618,  by  which  prelacy 
had  been  introduced,  and  declared  all  the  changes 
and  innovations  made  by  them  illegal ;  condemned 
the  Five  Articles  of  Perth,  the  Canons,  Liturgy  and 
Book  of  Ordination,  and  the  High  Commission; 
declared  prelacy  abjured  by  the  National  Covenant 
and  contrary  to  the  principles  of  the  Church  of 
Scotland ;  and  finally,  in  the  name  of  the  Church, 
voted  its  removal  and  the  substitution  of  the  Pres- 
byterian government  and  worship  to  their  former 
integrity.  The  prelates'  conduct,  after  a  full  and 
impartial  investigation,  was  declared  to  be  of  a 
character  to  render  them  worthy  of  censure,  and 
eight  of  them  were  deposed  and  excommunicated, 
four  simply  deposed,  and  two  deposed  from  the 
prelatic  station,  but  permitted  to  hold  the  office 
of  pastor  over  a  single  parish.  Having  finished 
its  business,  this  memorable  Assembly  closed  its 
labors  on  the  twentieth  day  of  December.  In 
pronouncing  the  Assembly  dissolved  the  moder- 
ator added  these  words :  "  We  have  now  cast 
down  the  walls  of  Jericho.  Let  him  that  re- 
buildeth  them  beware  of  the  curse  of  Hiel  the 
Bethelite." 

Thus  by  a  single  month's  work  was  swept  away 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.        91 

the  whole  fabric  of  prelacy,  which  had  been  labo- 
riously erected  by  the  king  and  his  ecclesiastical 
minions,  and  on  which  more  than  thirty  years  of 
kingcraft  and  priestcraft  had  been  expended.  Not 
a  vestige  remained.  The  General  Assembly  was 
reinstated  in  the  exercise  of  its  legitimate  author- 
ity, and  everything  moved  forward  in  as  orderly  a 
manner  "as  if  the  thirty  years'  suppression  had 
been  only  a  semi-annual  adjournment."  "No 
Church,  except  one  constituted  on  the  Presbyterian 
model,  could  have  borne  such  a  testimony  or  gained 
such  a  triumph."  It  should  not,  therefore,  be  a  mat- 
ter of  surprise  that  a  Church  which  had  maintained 
a  successful  struggle  against  the  despotic  claims  of 
kings  and  prelates  for  more  than  half  a  century, 
and  had  vindicated  its  scriptural  simplicity  of 
church  order  and  worship,  should  be  regarded  by 
not  a  few  as  possessing  jure  divino  authority.  Some 
of  the  principles  which  had  been  so  boldly  and 
successfully  vindicated  were  unquestionably  vital 
to  spiritual  freedom  and  the  progress  of  the  gos- 
pel. The  independence  of  church  courts  of  civil 
control,  the  right  of  the  congregation  to  the  choice 
of  its  own  officers  and  the  parity  of  the  ministry, 
were  too  essential  to  the  freedom,  if  not  the  very 
life  of  the  Church,  to  allow  them  to  be  regarded 
as  of  secondary  importance;  and  these  fundamen- 
tal principles  of  the  Presbyterian  system  invest  it 
with  claims  which,  in  no  offensive  sense,  confer  upon 
it  the  peculiar  distinction  of  being  most  accordant 


92  SCOTCH  AND   IRISH  SEEDS. 

with  the  Scriptures  and   the  genius  of  civil  and 
religious  liberty. 

While  the  Covenanters  had  calmly  and  firmly 
taken  their  position,  from  which  they  could  not 
be  driven,  they  were  anxious  to  avoid  any  conflict 
with  the  monarch.  Before  the  marquis  of  Hamil- 
ton left  Edinburgh  several  of  their  leading  men 
waited  upon  him  to  solicit  his  friendly  mediation. 
This  failing,  they  sent  a  supplication  to  the  king 
himself,  in  reading  which  he  indignantly  said, 
"When  they  have  broken  my  head,  they  will  put 
on  my  cowl."  He  was  greatly  enraged  at  what  he 
considered  an  insult  to  his  royal  prerogative,  and 
immediately  resolved  upon  the  suppression  of  the 
offenders.  He  began  at  once  his  preparations  for 
war,  receiving  his  chief  supply  of  money  from  the 
liberal  contributions  of  the  English  bishops.  Most 
reluctantly  the  Presbyterians  engaged  in  the  con- 
flict which  they  saw  was  inevitable,  for  the  king 
would  not  pardon  the  offence  of  the  Assembly, 
and  Scotland  would  not  recede  from  the  stand 
which  had  been  taken  in  the  name  of  the  nation. 
In  the  minds  of  many  Christians  there  were  grave 
doubts  concerning  the  propriety  of  even  a  defen- 
sive war.  But  when  the  question  was  clearly  seen 
to  be,  as  it  really  was,  whether,  in  obeying  the 
monarch,  they  must  disobey  God,  they  soon  arrived 
at  the  conclusion  "that  a  Christian  people  were 
entitled  to  take  up  arms  in  defence  of  their  relig- 
ious liberties   against  any  assailant."      They  did 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH        93 

not  hesitate — nay,  were  forward — to  yield  obedience 
to  the  king  in  all  things  pertaining  to  the  State, 
and  even  to  submit  to  civil  wrongs  after  a  simple 
protest  or  remonstrance,  but  they  were  convinced 
that  religious  liberty  could  not  be  yielded  without 
committing  grievous  sin. 

1  Having  thus  concluded,  they  began  their  prep- 
arations to  defend  their  rights.  Full  executive 
powers  were  given  to  the  committee  in  Edinburgh, 
arms  and  ammunition  were  collected,  and  expe- 
rienced officers  were  employed  to  instruct  those 
who  were  willing  to  serve  in  the  army;  and  as 
the  forces  of  Charles  were  already  assembling  at 
York,  the  precaution  was  taken  to  seize  the  strong 
fortresses  of  Edinburgh  and  Dumbarton.  Dal- 
keith was  also  taken  possession  of,  and  Leith  for- 
tified to  protect  the  capital  from  assault  by  sea. 
All  attempts  at  compromise  having  failed,  the  in- 
fatuated monarch  demanded  the  renunciation  of 
the  Covenant  and  the  Glasgow  Assembly,  and  an 
unconditional  submission  to  his  royal  will.  Orders 
were  issued  by  the  committee  for  the  Scottish  army 
to  march  to  headquarters.  The  chief  command 
was  entrusted  to  the  experienced  and  veteran  sol- 
dier, General  Leslie,  and  the  army  moved  forward 
in  two  divisions  to  Dunse  Law,  where  it  encamped 
within  sight  of  Charles'  forces.  The  level  summit 
of  the  hill  on  which  the  Scottish  troops  had  taken 
up  their  position  bristled  with  cannon.  Around 
it  were  pitched  the  tents  of  the  soldiers,  and  at  the 


94  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

door  of  each  captain's  tent  a  staff  was  planted, 
from  which  floated  a  banner  with  the  inscription 
in  golden  letters,  "  For  Christ's  Crown  and 
Covenant."  Attached  to  each  regiment  was  an 
able  and  honored  minister,  who  regularly,  morn- 
ing and  evening,  conducted  devotional  services  in 
the  presence  of  the  assembled  troops.  The  army 
was  composed  mainly  of  peasants,  to  whom  relig- 
ious liberty  was  dear,  and  who  were  ready  to  sac- 
rifice their  lives  in  its  defence.  These  were  led 
by  their  time-honored  nobility,  encouraged  by  their 
beloved  pastors,  and  rendered  invincible  in  their 
own  estimation  by  the  righteous  cause  for  which 
thev  contended.  Fearing;  God,  thev  feared  not 
the  face  of  man. 

No  wonder  that  the  king  hesitated  before  risk- 
ing battle  with  so  formidable  and  resolute  an  ene- 
my, particularly  as  he  must  have  known  that  the 
English  had  little  heart  to  engage  in  what  was 
justly  regarded  as  the  bishops'  war.  Accord- 
ingly, he  made  it  known  that  he  was  ready  and 
anxious  to  receive  proposals  for  peace  from  his 
aggrieved  subjects.  These  were  promptly  made, 
since  the  Covenanters  were  not  moved  by  pride 
and  were  only  desirous  to  have  their  religious  free- 
dom assured.  After  protracted  negotiations  the 
king  acceded  to  articles  of  peace,  in  which  the 
requests  of  the  aggrieved  party  were  virtually 
granted.  Then  followed  the  signing  of  a  treaty, 
the    disbanding   of   the   armies,  and   the    restor- 


HISTORY   OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.       96 

ing  to  the  king  of  the  castles  that  had  been 
seized. 

Short-lived  was  the  peace  thus  inaugurated. 
Kingcraft  was  again  invoked,  and  was  employed 
in  every  possible  manner  to  thwart  the  wishes  of 
the  loyal  subjects  of  the  realm.  The  Assembly 
that  met  in  Edinburgh  that  same  year  abolished 
all  the  prelatic  innovations  which  again  had  been 
forced  upon  the  Church,  and  made  provision  for 
the  annual  meeting  of  Assemblies  and  the  regu- 
lar meeting  of  synods,  presbyteries,  and  kirk  ses- 
sions. The  National  Covenant  was  also  renewed, 
and  the  privy-council  petitioned  to  sanction  it 
and  to  require  all  subjects  to  subscribe  it.  This 
was  done,  the  whole  council  subscribing  as  well  as 
the  king's  commissioner. 

These  acts  of  the  Assembly  and  the  council  in- 
censed the  monarch,  who  resolved  once  more  on 
war.  By  great  exertions  his  exhausted  treasury 
was  replenished,  and  he  took  the  field  with  an 
army  of  over  twenty  thousand  men.  As  usual, 
the  Covenanters  tried  every  pacific  measure  before 
engaging  even  in  a  defensive  war.  But  convinced 
of  the  uselessness  of  all  their  efforts,  the  alarm  was 
again  sounded,  and  was  answered  by  the  mustering  to 
their  former  station,  Dunse  Law,  of  thousands  of  the 
nobility  and  ministers  and  brave  peasantry.  After 
remaining  inactive  for  a  time,  no  enemy  appearing, 
they  resolved  to  advance  in  a  peaceful  manner 
toward  the  royal    army.      Disclaiming  all  hostile 


96  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

intentions  against  the  English  nation,  they  marched 
to  the  Tweed,  and  then,  crossing  the  Tyne,  took 
possession  of  Newcastle  after  a  feeble  resistance  on 
the  part  of  the  royal  forces.  The  latter  were  al- 
lowed to  retire  unmolested  to  show  their  pacific 
intentions,  and  a  petition  was  presented  to  the  king 
urging  him  to  grant  their  just  requests  and  thus 
restore  peace  to  his  distracted  kingdom.  The 
treaty  of  Ripon  was  the  result  of  the  decisive 
stand  taken  by  the  Covenanters,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  the  meeting  of  the  Long  Parliament, 
so  memorable  in  the  annals  of  the  nation,  and 
which  continued  its  sessions  until  English  episco- 
pacy was  overthrown. 

The  English  nation  had  become  weary  of  the  des- 
potic rule  of  their  prelates.  The  residence  of  the 
commissioners  in  Scotland  wThile  the  treaty  of  Ripon 
was  being  concluded,  and  the  free  intercourse  which 
some  of  the  principal  ministers  of  Scotland  enjoyed 
with  all  classes  of  society  in  London  while  acting 
as  chaplains  to  the  Scottish  commissioners,  had  a 
powerful  influence  in  recommending  the  Presby- 
terian form  of  church  government.  Petitions  be- 
gan to  be  presented  to  Parliament.  Some  of  these 
prayed  for  the  total  abolition  of  the  prelatic  sys- 
tem, others  only  for  a  reformation  in  the  liturgy, 
discipline  and  government.  The  desire  was  wide- 
spread for  a  change,  and  the  hope  was  general  that 
uniformity  of  worship  might  be  established  in  the 
three  kingdoms.     Following  out  this  idea,  which 


HISTORY   OF   THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.        ** 

had  boon   first  suggested   by  t lie  commissioners  in 

London,  the  Assembly  of  1641  appointed  its  modera- 
tor, Henderson,  to  the  duty  of  framing  a  confession 
of  faith,  a  catechism  and  a  directory  for  public 
worship,  that  might  meet  all  the  requirements  of 
a  regularly  constituted  national  Church.  But  be- 
fore much  progress  had  been  made  in  this  matter, 
the  breach  between  the  king  and  his  Parliament 
took  place.  The  Scotch  commissioners  attempted 
an  amicable  adjustment  of  the  points  in  dispute, 
but  their  mediation  was  rejected  by  the  king,  who 
regarded  them  as  the  chief  cause  of  all  his  trou- 
bles, from  the  example  they  had  set  of  successful 
resistance  to  his  despotic  measures. 

The  position  was  a  difficult  one  for  the  Covenant- 
ers. They  were  disposed  to  remain  neutral  in  the 
contest.  Loyalty  to  their  sovereign  kept  them 
from  all  overt  acts  of  hostility  to  him,  while  all 
their  sympathies  were  naturally  with  those  who 
were  striving  to  maintain  civil  and  religious  lib- 
erty. But  the  progress  of  events  soon  rendered 
neutrality  impossible.  A  common  sense  of  dan- 
ger compelled  them  to  take  sides  with  their  Eng- 
lish brethren,  that  conjointly  they  might  avert  the 
perils  of  their  country.  When,  therefore,  the  Eng- 
lish commissioners  sought  a  conference  with  the 
members  of  the  Edinburgh  Assembly,  August, 
1643,  it  was  granted,  and  as  the  result  of  their 
deliberations  that  ever  memorable  and  remarkable 
document    was    adopted     styled     "The    Solemn 

7 


98  SCOTCH  AND   TPJSH  SEEDS. 

League  and  Covenant/'  This  bound  the 
united  kingdoms  to  preserve  the  Reformed  relig- 
ion in  the  Church  of  Scotland ;  to  labor  for  the 
reformation  of  religion  in  England  and  Ireland 
according  to  the  word  of  God  and  the  example 
of  the  best  Reformed  churches ;  and  for  the  extir- 
pation of  popery  and  prelacy,  while  the  king's 
person,  authority  and  honor  were  to  be  carefully 
guarded.  This  document  was  first  approved  by 
the  Assembly,  in  which  it  originated,  afterward 
unanimously  ratified  by  the  Convention  of  Estates, 
and  then  carried  to  London,  where  it  was  accepted 
and  subscribed  by  the  English  Parliament  and  the 
Westminster  Assembly  of  Divines. 

This  latter  body  deserves  very  special  mention 
in  this  connection.  It  was  convened  by  an  ordi- 
nance of  Parliament  issued  on  the  12th  of  June, 
1643,  to  devise  some  method  whereby  uniformity 
might  be  secured  in  faith,  discipline  and  worship 
in  the  two  kingdoms.  It  numbered  one  hundred 
and  fifty-one  members,  of  which  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  were  divines,  the  others  being  lords 
and  commoners.  Of  this  list  about  twenty-five 
never  met  with  the  Assembly,  having  either  died 
before  the  meeting,  or  absented  themselves  through 
fear  of  the  displeasure  of  the  king,  or  from  prefer- 
ence for  episcopacy.  To  supply  the  vacancies  thus 
caused  the  Parliament  summoned  twenty-one  ad- 
ditional members,  and  requested  the  Church  of 
Scotland  to  send  commissioners  to  assist  them  in 


HISTORY   OF  THE  8U0TCH  CHUROH.        99 

their  deliberations.  Upon  this  commission  the 
General  Assembly  of  that  Church  placed  four  of 
its  most  eminent  ministers,  and  two  elders.  Of  the 
thirty-two  lay  assessors  and  the  one  hundred  and 
fifty-two  divines,  including  those  sent  by  Scotland, 
but  sixty-nine  appeared  the  first  day,  and  gen- 
erally the  attendance  ranged  between  sixty  and 
eighty.  They  met  July  1st  in  the  Abbey  church, 
Westminster,  and  organized  by  appointing  Dr. 
Twisse  prolocutor,  who  opened  the  meeting  with 
an  able  sermon. 

The  Assembly  was  peculiar  in  many  respects. 
It  was  neither  a  Convocation  called  to  meet  by 
episcopal  authority,  nor  a  General  Assembly 
convened  according  to  the  rules  in  force  among 
Presbyterians.  The  prelatic  form  of  church  gov- 
ernment had  been  abolished,  and  there  was  no 
other  yet  in  existence.  The  Church  was  in  a 
transition  state,  and  the  civil  power,  recognizing 
Christianity  as  it  did,  called  together  a  large  num- 
ber of  Christian  men  to  deliberate  respecting  those 
questions  of  faith  and  order  which  were  essential 
to  the  highest  welfare  of  the  people.  The  prob- 
lem to  be  solved  was :  On  what  terms  could  a  na- 
tional Church  be  formed  so  as  neither  to  encroach 
upon  civil  liberty,  nor  surrender  those  inherent 
spiritual  rights  and  privileges  essential  to  a 
Church  of  Christ? 

That  the  Parliament  wished  to  act  with  fairness 
and  impartiality  in  this  important  matter,  is  evi- 


1 1 M )  St  <>T(_ 'R  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

dent  from  the  fact  that  they  named  men  of  all 
shades  of  opinion  in  matters  of  church  govern- 
ment. Their  intention  was  to  have  the  whole 
subject  fully  discussed,  and  with  this  in  view  four 
bishops  were  selected,  besides  many  others  well 
known  for  their  talents  and  their  attachment  to  In- 
dependency. Though  the  purpose  was  a  laudable 
one,  yet  this  was  the  chief  element  of  weakness  in 
the  Assembly.  The  great  diversity  of  opinions  pre- 
vented that  unity  of  action  which  was  necessary 
to  accomplish  the  work  given  them  to  do.  From 
the  very  beginning  of  the  Assembly  three  parties 
appeared.  The  first  held  that  it  was  the  province 
of  the  civil  magistrate  alone  to  inflict  church  cen- 
sure, and  that  he  is  the  proper  head  and  source 
of  all  power,  ecclesiastical  as  well  as  civil.  The 
second  held  that  every  congregation  of  Christians 
lias  entire  and  complete  authority  over  its  mem- 
bers in  all  religious  matters.  The  third,  the  Pres- 
byterians, who  formed  the  majority  of  the  Assem- 
bly, held  firmly  to  the  opinions  and  principles 
which  were  in  practice  in  the  Scottish  Church. 

The  first  difference  arose  respecting  the  headship 
of  the  Church,  the  majority  contending  that  Christ 
was  the  Head,  and  having  ascended  from  the  earth 
committed  the  rule  of  his  Church  to  properly  des- 
ignated officers.  This  proposition  was  opposed 
by  those  who  claimed  that  the  infliction  of  church 
censure  belonged  to  the  king,  by  reason  of  his  civil 
magistracy.     Though  overruled   in  the  Assembly, 


J I  IsiVRY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.     101 

they  triumphed  in  Parliament,  which  refused  to 
sanction  the  proposition.  The  struggle  with  the 
Independents  was  more  protracted,  as  they  derived 
much  of  their  strength  from  active  friends  and 
sympathizers  in  Parliament  and  in  the  army. 
With  their  aid  "  they  contrived  to  embarrass,  re- 
tard and  overreach  the  Assembly,  till  they  were 
able  to  subvert  all  its  labors,  so  far  as  England 
was  concerned ;  they  kept  the  Parliament  in  a 
state  of  confusion  and  indecision  with  their  in- 
trigues till  they  had  power  to  suppress  it;  and  they 
contrived  to  paralyze  both  king  and  Parliament 
until  the  opportunity  occurred  of  putting  to  death 
their  monarch,  and  placing  the  sceptre  in  the  iron 
grasp  of  military  despotism.'' 

The  uniformity  in  religious  worship  in  England 
and  Scotland  which  had  been  attempted  was  thus 
indefinitely  postponed.  While  the  jure  divino 
claims  urged  in  behalf  of  Presbyterianism  may 
have  had  some  influence  in  preventing  an  agree- 
ment, yet  to  those  who  claimed  for  the  civil 
magistrate  ecclesiastical  control  likewise,  and  to 
the  policy  of  Cromwell,  who  encouraged  the  In- 
dependents in  their  factious  opposition,  the  prin- 
cipal share  of  the  blame  must  be  attributed. 

For  nearly  twenty  years  from  the  time  of  tl  e 
revival  of  the  General  Assemblies,  and  embracii  g 
the  period  of  the  flight  of  Charles  I.  in  disguise  to 
Scotland,  the  defeat  of  his  army  by  Cromwell,  liis 
death  and  the  steps  taken  to  secure  a  successor  to 


102  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

the  vacant  throne,  the  Presbyterian  system  was 
left  for  the  most  part  unmolested.  The  General 
Assembly  of  1647  ratified  the  Confession  of  Faith 
of  the  Westminster  divines,  and  in  1649  passed 
an  act  defining  the  method  of  electing  ministers, 
and  their  installation  over  parishes.  These  meas- 
ures were  necessary  to  perfect  the  organization  of 
the  Church  and  prepare  it  for  the  protracted  and 
terrible  conflict  which  it  had  to  encounter  upon  the 
restoration,  May,  1660,  of  Charles  II.  to  the  throne 
of  his  father. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

From  the  Restoration  of  Charles  II.  to 
his  Death,  in  1685. 

After  the  death  of  Oliver  Cromwell  a  "strange 
frenzy  of  extravagant  royalty  seized  upon  the  whole 
kingdom  like  some  uncontrollable  epidemic,"  and 
Charles  was  placed  upon  the  throne  without  the 
exaction  from  him  of  any  of  the  promises  or  con- 
ditions that  had  been  demanded  of  his  predecessors. 
Against  this  fatal  error  the  Church  of  Scotland 
could  make  no  successful  resistance,  owing  to  its 
weakness,  caused  by  internal  dissensions.  The 
power  most  dreaded  by  politicians  being  thus  par- 
alyzed, measures  were  almost  immediately  taken 
to  establish  an  arbitrary  government.  A  Council 
of  State  was  formed  for  Scotland,  composed  of 
men  hostile  to  Presbyterian  ism  and  in  favor  of 
the  prelatic  system.  As  preparatory  to  its  attempt- 
ed introduction,  some  of  the  most  powerful  sup- 
porters of  the  Covenant  had  to  be  removed  out  of 
the  way ;  and  orders  were  therefore  given  for  the 
imprisonment  of  certain  of  the  chief  nobles  and 
ministers.  Proclamations  were  issued  against  the 
holding  of  what  were  designated  as  unlawful  meet- 
in:: 


104  SCOTCH  AND  HUSH  SHEDS. 

ings,  and  the  people  were  commanded  to  bring  all 
seditious  books  in  their  possession  that  they  might 
be  burned.  Those  who  were  suffering  from  any 
grievance  whatever  were  prohibited  from  presenting 
addresses  or  petitions  to  any  source  for  redress,  but 
to  the  Parliament  or  the  Committee  of  Estates. 

A  new  but  clearly  an  illegal  Parliament  was 
held  in  1661,  and  its  members  took  an  oath  of 
allegiance  which  acknowledged  the  king's  suprem- 
acy in  ecclesiastical  as  well  as  civil  affairs.  Hav- 
ing accorded  this,  they  proceeded  at  once  with  their 
despotic  acts.  Among  these  it  was  declared  to  be 
the  prerogative  of  the  king  to  choose  all  officers  of 
the  State,  to  call  and  dissolve  all  Parliaments  and 
meetings,  and  that  no  convocations  or  leagues  could 
be  made  without  the  sovereign.  And  to  remove 
every  obstruction,  so  that  absolute  despotism  might 
have  unimpeded  sway,  the  members  of  Parliament 
were  absolved  from  the  obligation  to  subscribe  the 
Solemn  League  and  Covenant,  and  were  required, 
if  they  filled  any  public  office,  to  take  the  oath  of 
allegiance  and  acknowledge  the  king's  prerogative. 
As  if  this  were  not  sufficient  to  bind  the  yoke  upon 
the  necks  of  submissive  subjects,  these  minions  of 
arbitrary  power  annulled  all  the  proceedings  of 
the  Parliaments  held  since  1633;  thus  by  a  single 
stroke  abolishing  not  only  all  the  laws  made  in 
favor  of  the  Church  of  Scotland,  but  also  those  in 
favor  of  civil  liberty,  which  had  been  passed  dur- 
ing the  late  reign. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.     105 

Should  it  seem    impossible  that  aets   like  these 
could  be  passed   by  any   Parliament  composed   of 
men   not   themselves   slaves,  the  solution   is   to   be 
sought  id  what  Burnet  has  to  say  of  the  morals  of 
the    people  :  "  Vices   of   all    sorts  were  the  open 
practices  of  those  about  the  earl   of  Middleton.* 
Drinking  was  the  most  notorious  of  all,  which  was 
often   continued  through   the  whole  night  till   the 
next  morning.     This  extravagant  act  was  only  fit 
to  be  concluded  after  a  drunken  bout."     The  pur- 
pose was  to  destroy  the  Presbyterian  Church,  but  in 
attempting  this  they  were  compelled  to  destroy  all 
the  existing  laws  of  the  land,  as  well  as  all  the 
security  which  law  itself  can  give.     It  is  no  won- 
der that  such  vile  creatures  as  these  were  the  active 
enemies  of  religious  freedom,  and  stood  ready  to 
sacrifice  civil  liberty  also  at  the  bidding  of  a  des- 
pot, and  the  fact  that  it  was  necessary  to  make  use 
of  such  agencies  to  introduce  prelacy  into  Scotland, 
places  the  stamp  of  infamy  upon  the  system  itself. 
The  next  step  was  to  inflict  the  extreme  penalty 
of  these  destructive  acts   upon   some  of  the  most 
honored   of  the   Presbyterians.      The   marquis   of 
Argyle  and   James  Guthrie,   minister   of  Stirling, 
were   the  first  victims.      The  first,  when    he    re- 
ceived his  sentence,  said,  "I  had  the  honor  to  set 
the  crown  upon  the  king's  head,  and  now  he  has- 
tens me  to  a  better  crown   than  his  own  ;"  and  on 
taking  leave  of  his  friends  on  the  day  of  execution, 
*  The  commissioner  for  holding  the  Parliament. 


106  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

with  a  calm  courage  that  justified  his  words,  he 
said,  "  I  could  die  like  a  Roman,  but  choose  rather 
to  die  as  a  Christian."  The  second,  when  con- 
demned to  die  as  a  traitor,  said  to  the  judge,  "  My 
conscience  1  cannot  submit,  but  this  old  crazy- 
body  and  mortal  flesh  I  do  submit  to  do  with  it 
whatsoever  you  will ;  only  I  beseech  you  to  ponder 
well  what  profit  there  is  in  my  blood.  My  blood 
will  contribute  more  for  the  propagation  of  the 
Covenant  and  the  work  of  reformation  than  my 
life  or  liberty  could  do;"  and  when  standing  on 
the  scaffold  and  about  to  yield  to  the  axe  of  the 
executioner,  he  lifted  the  napkin  from  his  face,  and 
cried,  "  The  covenants,  the  covenants  shall  yet  be 
Scotland's  reviving." 

The  next  victim  marked  for  slaughter  was  "the 
heavenly-minded  Rutherford."  But  death  cheat- 
ed his  enemies.  In  answer  to  their  summons  to 
appear  at  Edinburgh  and  stand  trial  for  high  trea- 
son, he  replied :  "  I  have  received  a  summons 
already  to  appear  before  a  superior  Judge  and 
judicatory,  and  I  behove  to  answer  my  first  sum- 
mons ;  and  ere  your  day  arrive  I  will  be  where  few 
kings  and  great  folks  come."  Other  ministers 
distinguished  for  their  piety  and  talents  were  ap- 
prehended and  imprisoned  by  the  order  of  Parlia- 
ment, and  finally  banished. 

In  the  judgment  of  many  persons,  the  time  had 
now  fully  come  when  it  would  be  safe  to  attempt 
to    introduce    episcopacy    into    Scotland.       They 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.      107 

pressed  the  king  to  proceed  with  the  intended 
change,  and  he,  disregarding  his  many  oaths  and 
declarations  to  maintain  and  defend  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church  of  Scotland,  sent  a  letter  to  the  privy- 
council,  in  which  he  declared  it  "his  firm  resolu- 
tion to  interpose  his  royal  authority  for  restoring 
the  Church  of  Scotland  to  its  rightful  government 
by  bishops."  Four  men  were  consecrated  to  the 
episcopal  office,  at  the  head  of  whom  was  James 
Sharp,  a  renegade  Presbyterian.  Following  this 
was  a  letter  from  the  king  to  his  council,  pro- 
hibiting the  meeting  of  synods,  presbyteries  and 
sessions,  unless  authorized  by  the  bishops,  and 
requiring  all  persons  to  respect  their  office  and 
the  authority  entrusted  to  them.  On  the  arrival 
of  the  bishops  at  Edinburgh  a  deputation  from 
Parliament  was  sent  to  invite  them  to  take  their 
seats  as  the  third  estate  of  the  realm,  and  the  first 
act  passed — and  that  on  the  very  next  day — restored 
them  to  their  ancient  prerogatives,  spiritual  and 
temporal.  Other  acts  of  Parliament  made  all 
covenants  and  leagues  for  reformation  treasonable, 
and  prohibited  any  person  to  teach  in  universities 
or  to  preach,  keep  schools  or  to  be  tutors  to  per- 
sons of  quality,  who  did  not  admit  the  prelatic 
government  and  obtain  a  license  from  the  bishops. 
Notwithstanding  these  grievous  oppressions,  the 
ministers  continued  to  occupy  their  pulpits,  and 
refused  to  acknowledge  the  authority  of  the  bish- 
ops.    An  act  was  passed  at  the  instigation  of  the 


108  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

archbishop  of  Glasgow  requiring  them  to  attend 
the  bishops'  courts  under  pain  of  being  held  con- 
temners of  royal  authority,  and  the  council  en- 
forced the  order  by  decreeing  banishment  against 
all  ministers  who  refused  to  comply.  The  latter, 
rather  than  violate  their  conscience,  submitted  to 
the  cruel  penalty.  Nearly  four  hundred  resigned 
their  livings  and  bade  farewell  to  their  congrega- 
tions, who,  in  parting  with  their  loved  pastors, 
could  not  repress  their  feelings,  but  wept  aloud. 
A  third  part  of  the  pulpits  of  Scotland  were  in 
the  course  of  a  few  months  vacated. 

To  supply  the  place  of  these  exiled  ministers 
was  an  impossibility.  The  attempt  to  do  so,  re- 
sulted in  bringing  into  the  parishes  many  persons 
who  were  a  reproach  to  the  profession.  "  They 
were  the  worst  preachers  I  ever  heard,"  says  Bish- 
op Burnet.  "They  were  ignorant  to  a  reproach, 
and  many  of  them  were  openly  vicious.  They 
were  a  disgrace  to  their  orders  and  the  sacred  func- 
tions, and  indeed  were  the  dregs  and  refuse."  These 
were  not  the  men  to  reconcile  the  people  to  the 
loss  of  their  beloved  pastors.  It  is  not  strange 
that  their  entrance  to  the  churches  should  have 
been  resisted,  or  that  they  were  very  soon  left 
without  hearers.  The  bishops,  in  forcing  them 
upon  the  unwilling  people,  only  made  themselves 
more  odious.  At  Edinburgh  only  a  single  pulpit 
continued  to  be  occupied  by  the  former  incumbent. 
Large  numbers  of  the  pastors  retired  to  the  most 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.     109 

secluded   parts  of  the  country,  while  not  a  few  fled 
to  Holland. 

Since  the  Glasgow  act,  as  it  was  called,  included 
only  those  ministers  who  had  succeeded  to  charges 
since  J  649,  a  number  of  aged  pastors  were  for  a 
time  left  in  possession  of  their  churches.  To  these 
the  people,  who  had  been  deprived  of  the  services 
of  their  own  ministers,  flocked  from  great  distances  ; 
and  as  some  of  the  ejected  clergy  were  allowed 
to  remain  in  their  parishes,  though  not  permitted 
to  discharge  the  duties  of  their  office,  their  former 
parishioners  were  accustomed  to  collect  in  large 
numbers  in  their  houses  at  the  hour  for  family 
worship,  in  order  that  they  might  enjoy  their 
private  expositions  and  prayers.  Frequently  such 
numbers  assembled  that  no  room  was  large  enough 
to  hold  the  worshipers,  and  necessity  constrained 
them  to  hold  the  meeting  in  the  open  air.  This 
was  the  origin  of  the  field-meetings — or  conventicles, 
as  they  were  derisively  called — which  were  first 
held  in  1663.  But  even  those  who  sought  in  this 
quiet  way  to  worship  God  were  subjected  to  the 
rage  of  their  persecutors.  The  rude  soldiery,  in- 
stigated by  the  vile  curates,  intercepted  the  people 
on  their  way  to  these  private  meetings,  and  im- 
posed a  fine  upon  them  for  not  attending  the  pre- 
latic  church. 

As  before  stated,  others  of  the  ejected  ministers, 
when  banished  from  their  homes,  took  refuge  in 
the  wilder  and   less  accessible  parts  of  Scotland, 


110  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

where  they  met  many  of  their  own  people,  whc 
had  fled  from  their  homes,  and  at  their  earnest 
desire  they  instructed  them  in  the  word  of  God. 
To  meet  this  new  phase  of  affairs  an  act  was  passed 
called  the  bishops'  drag-net.  It  punished  as  sedi- 
tious all  who  ventured  to  preach  without  the  per- 
mission of  the  bishops,  and  fined  those  who  neg- 
lected to  attend  the  parish  church.  Proclamations 
were  also  issued  against  conventicles,  prohibiting 
ministers  from  preaching  or  holding  even  private 
meetings  for  worship,  and  magistrates  were  obliged 
to  sign  a  bond  to  pay  a  certain  sum  if  a  conventi- 
cle should  be  held  within  their  jurisdiction.  An- 
other act  was  passed,  which  provided  that  those 
who  refused  to  sign  the  declaration  condemning 
the  Covenanters  should  "forfeit  all  the  privileges 
of  merchandising  and  trading."  And,  as  if  this 
was  not  sufficient,  the  court  of  High  Commission 
was  again  erected,  and  the  perjured  apostate  Arch- 
bishop Sharp  put  at  its  head.  Power  was  given 
to  it  to  summon  before  it  and  punish  with  fines  and 
imprisonment  all  deposed  ministers  who  presumed 
to  preach,  and  all  persons  who  attended  conventi- 
cles, or  who  kept  meetings  at  fasts  and  the  sacra- 
ment of  the  Lord's  Supper,  and  to  employ  magis 
trates  and  military  force  for  seizing  their  victims. 
The  curates  were  organized  spies*  to  give  informa- 

*  If  any  one  supposes  that  I  have  used  stronger  terms  than 
the  truth  of  history  will  warrant,  I  would  refer  him  to  Hal- 
lam's  Constitutional  History  of  England.     Speaking  of  the  prel- 


HISTORY   OF  Til/:  SCOTCH  CBURCH.     Ill 

tion  to  the  Commission  of  all  sincere,  and  therefore 
obnoxious,  Presbyterians.  These  were  summoned 
to  appear  before  the  Court,  and,  generally  without 
the  formality  of  calling  witnesses  or  hearing  evi- 
dence, they  were  sentenced  to  pay  a  ruinous  fine  or 
were  sent  to  prison.  Some  were  reduced  to  abject 
poverty,  some  died  of  loathsome  diseases  contract- 
ed in  their  prisons,  some  were  banished  the  king- 
dom, and  some  were  sold  as  slaves.  And  as  a 
refinement  of  the  other  cruel  deeds,  all  persons 
were  forbidden  to  extend  any  assistance  to  those 
actually  starving  for  want  of  food,  under  the  pain 
of  being  regarded  as  movers  of  sedition. 

In  the  enforcement  of  these  iniquitous  measures 
the  army  was  actively  employed.  The  soldiers 
were  encouraged  by  the  prelates  in  their  work  of 
plunder  and  death,  and  their  conduct  was  rather 
that  of  fiends  than  of  men.  James  Turner,  a  selfish, 
cruel,  military  adventurer,  and  his  u  lambs,"  as  his 
troops  were  called,  were  sent  to  the  west  and  south 
of  Scotland  to  levy  fines  and  compel  submission  to 

ates  and  their  efforts  to  crush  out  dissenters,  he  says :  "  It 
was  very  possible  that  episcopacy  might  be  of  apostolical 
institution;  but  for  this  institution  houses  had  been  burned 
and  fields  laid  waste,  and  the  gospel  had  been  preached  in  the 
wilderness,  and  its  ministers  had  been  shot  in  their  prayers, 
and  husbands  had  been  murdered  before  their  wives,  and  vir- 
gins had  been  defiled,  and  many  had  died  by  the  executioner 
and  by  massacre;  it  was  a  religion  of  the  boot  and  the  thumb- 
screw, which  a  good  man  must  be  very  cold-blooded  indeed  if 
he  did  not  hate." — Hnllnm,  vol.  iii.,  p.  442. 


1  1  2  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

the  bishops  and  curates.  If  a  Presbyterian  refused 
to  pay  the  imposed  fine,  they  at  once  quartered 
themselves  in  his  house,  where  they  reveled  in 
riot  and  drunkenness  and  inflicted  every  species 
of  outrage,  without  distinction  of  age  or  sex.  Sta- 
tioning themselves  at  the  doors  of  churches,  when 
the  congregation  came  out  they  demanded  of  each 
person  upon  oath  whether  he  belonged  to  that  par- 
ish. Those  who  did  not  were  at  once  fined  ;  and  if 
the  fine  was  not  promptly  paid,  the  soldiers  seized 
upon  their  Bibles,  hats,  plaids,  or  any  part  of  their 
clothing  which  could  be  readily  carried  away  and 
sold.  Thus  the  soldiers  robbed  the  poor  people, 
devoured  or  wasted  their  provisions  and  reduced 
them  to  starvation.  Complaints  but  served  to  in- 
crease their  abuse.  The  extent  of  this  robbery 
may  be  judged  from  the  historical  statement  that 
"  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks  the  sum  of  fifty 
thousand  pounds  Scots  was  raised  in  the  west"  by 
the  joint  efforts  of  the  curates  and  soldiers. 

These  intolerable  wrongs  could  not  longer  be 
endured,  and  a  spark  kindled  the  flame  of  insur- 
rection. The  attempt,  by  four  wrandering  coun- 
trymen, to  rescue  a  poor  old  man  from  the  bar- 
barous abuse  of  the  soldiers  brought  on  a  conflict. 
This  being  considered  an  act  of  rebellion,  they 
knew  they  had  no  mercy  to  expect  from  the  civil 
authorities.  To  yield  was  certain  death  to  them  ; 
to  act  in  self-defence  could  but  be  death.  They 
preferred    the    latter    course,  and   were  joined    by 


HISTORY   OF   THE  SCOTCH   CHURCH.      113 

many  of  their  persecuted  countrymen.  The  rising 
was  unpremeditated  and  ill-timed,  and  in  an 
enterprise  of  so  much  importance  should  not 
have  been  underraken  without  consultation  and 
without  well-matured  plans,  to  secure  a  general 
movement  throughout  the  country.  For  this 
reason  the  band  of  insurgents  did  not  receive  the 
encouragement  they  expected  ;  and  after  marching 
from  place  to  place,  they  encamped  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  Pentland  Hills,  where  they  were  met  by 
the  enemy's  army,  at  least  thrice  as  numerous  as 
their  own.  A  sharp  and  bloody  encounter  fol- 
lowed. Fifty  of  the  Covenanters  were  slain  in 
battle,  as  many  more  taken  prisoners,  and  the 
remainder  driven  from  the  well-fought  field  by 
DalziePs  cavalry.  Though  so  summarily  sup- 
pressed, the  rising  showed  the  feelings  of  an 
oppressed  people,  and  should  have  been  a  signifi- 
cant warning  to  those  whose  wTicked  policy  had 
produced  these  evil  results. 

The  prisoners  were  dragged  to  Edinburgh  for 
trial,  where  sixteen  of  them  were  summarily  con- 
demned to  be  hanged,  and  to  have  their  heads  and 
right  hands  cut  off  and  exposed  to  public  gaze  in 
different  parts  of  the  kingdom.  Among  the  suf- 
ferers were  several  distinguished  citizens.  John 
Neil  son  of  Corsack  was  a  gentleman  of  property, 
fine  talents  and  unblemished  character,  who  had 
been  exposed  to  the  malice  and  exactions  of 
the  curates  and  Turner's  "  lambs,"  and  who   had 


114  SCOTCH  AND   IRISH  SEEDS. 

saved  Turner's  life  when  he  was  captured  by  the 
insurgents.  He  was  put  to  the  torture  of  the  booty 
with  the  hope  to  extract  from  him  a  confession  of 
a  widespread  conspiracy,  in  order  that  the  number 
of  victims  whose  estates  could  be  confiscated  and 
whose  lives  should  be  forfeited  might  be  increased. 

Another  of  these  sufferers  was  the  eloquent  and 
eminently  pious  preacher  Hugh  M'Kail,  who  said 
as  he  mounted  the  ladder,  "I  care  no  more  to  go 
up  this  ladder  and  over  it  than  if  I  were  going  to 
my  father's  house."  "  Friends,"  said  he,  turning 
to  the  multitude  before  him,  "be  not  afraid  ;  every 
step  in  the  ladder  is  a  degree  nearer  heaven." 
"  Welcome,  God  and  Father ;  welcome,  sweet 
Jesus,  the  Mediator  of  the  new  covenant;  wel- 
come, blessed  Spirit  of  grace  and  God  of  all  con- 
solation ;  welcome,  glory ;  welcome,  eternal  life ; 
welcome,  death."  Thus  died,  with  these  sublime 
words  on  his  lips,  one  of  the  purest  and  noblest 
of  Scotland's  sons,  a  victim  to  prelatic  tyranny. 
Thus,  too,  did  judicial  vengeance  revel  in  the 
blood  of  these  defenceless  prisoners.  But  their 
cruel  execution  only  exasperated  the  feelings  of 
their  sympathizing  countrymen,  and  increased  the 
detestation  in  which  the  bishops  and  curates  were 
held  by  the  people.  The  dying  speeches  of  these 
Christian  martyrs,  and  particularly  of  M'Kail,  were 
remembered  with  fervent  admiration  by  every  true 
Scottish  Presbyterian. 

Wherever   the    people    refused    to    attend    the 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH      116 

churches  of  the  prelates  or  to  acknowledge  their  au- 
thority, there  the  soldiery  were  seut  with  full  powers 
to  perpetrate  whatever  barbarities  they  pleased.  Sus- 
picion was  all  that  was  required  for  the  infliction  of 
any  punishment  which  caprice  or  cruelty  might  dic- 
tate. From  some  money  was  extorted,  others  were 
reduced  to  starvation,  and  many  more  crowded  into 
dungeons,  where  they  could  only  stand  upright  day 
and  night,  though  sick  and  dying  from  the  fetid  and 
pestilential  vapors.  The  recital,  even,  of  such  deeds 
as  were  committed  in  the  name  of  religion  stirs  the 
blood  with  horror,  and  we  cannot  dwell  upon  them. 
Through  many  more  years  and  with  slight  inter- 
missions and  unimportant  alleviations,  the  perse- 
cutions against  the  Covenanters  continued.  Con- 
venticles were  still  more  sternly  repressed,  and  it 
was  made  a  capital  offence  for  ministers  to  attend 
them.  Gentlemen  were  held  responsible  if  their 
wives,  children,  servants  or  tenantry  were  found  in 
attendance  upon  them,  and  were  ruined  by  the  ex- 
orbitant fines  exacted.  But  all  these  unjust  and 
cruel  measures,  as  well  as  the  vigilance  of  the 
curates  and  dragoons,  failed  to  suppress  the  as- 
semblages. As  a  necessary  precaution  those  who 
attended  them  went  armed,  and  their  numbers 
were  frequently  large  enough  to  overawe  the 
soldiers  sent  to  disperse  them.  Yet  wherever 
vengeance  could  be  exercised  it  was  unsparingly 
indulged.  Fiends  in  human  shape  like  Dalziel 
and  Claverhouse  were  the  readv  tools  of  the  cruel 


116  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

policy  of  which  Archbishop  Sharp  was  the  ruling 
spirit.  At  the  solicitation  of  the  latter,  repeated 
orders  were  issued  by  the  council  against  field- 
meetings,  each  one  more  oppressive  and  cruel  than 
the  preceding.  At  length  war  was  virtually  de- 
clared against  the  ministers  and  all  who  should 
attend  their  meetings  and  protect  them,  and  the 
barbarities  attendant  upon  the  execution  of  these 
orders  drove  the  people  to  desperation.  Nine 
gentlemen  took  it  upon  themselves  to  rid  the 
country  of  this  arch-enemy.  Meeting  him  un- 
expectedly— for  they  were  looking  for  his  tool, 
Carmichael — they  made  him  leave  his  coach ;  and 
notwithstanding  his  offers  of  money,  his  promise 
to  abandon  his  prelatic  office  and  his  cries  for 
mercy,  they  first  shot  him  and  then  pierced  him 
with  their  swords.  So  perished  the  guilty  apos- 
tate who,  by  his  repeated  acts  of  perjury,  and  by 
eighteen  years  of  bloodshed,  had  brought  untold 
woe  and  ruin  upon  his  country,  and  who  finally 
fell  a  victim  to  the  indignation  which  his  merci- 
less proceedings  had  aroused  in  the  breasts  of 
his  countrymen. 

Large  but  ineffectual  rewards  were  offered  for 
the  apprehension  of  the  murderers.  The  king  was 
greatly  incensed,  and  sent  a  proclamation  to  his 
council  expressing  regret  for  his  past  clemency,  and 
a  determination  to  wage  a  war  of  extermination  in 
future  against  conventicles.  He  and  his  council, 
for  their  own  purposes,  chose  to  represent  the  per- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  scotch  CHURCH.     117 

secuted  Presbyterians  as  approving  of  the  death 
of  Sharp,  while  they  could  not  but  know  that  their 
oft-avowed  principles  would  never  sanction  private 
individuals  in  taking  the  law  into  their  own  hands 
even  to  redress  the  greatest  wrongs.  But  the  time 
when  endurance  ceased  to  be  a  virtue  had  nearly 
come.  The  persecuted  had  either  to  submit  to  live 
as  abject  slaves  or  to  rise  up  in  defence  of  civil 
and  religious  liberty.  Some  of  the  more  impetu- 
ous, judging  themselves  entitled  by  the  laws  of 
God  and  nature  to  defend  their  own  lives  when 
assailed,  banded  themselves  together  for  this  pur- 
pose. In  their  declaration  of  principles,  however, 
they  not  only  asserted  this  right,  but  censured  the 
conduct  of  those  who  had  brought  the  great  evils 
upon  the  country.  This  was  construed  into  an 
act  of  rebellion  against  the  government,  and  an 
armed  force  was  dispatched  to  apprehend  those 
who  had  made  the  manifesto.  Claverhouse  was  in 
command  of  the  king's  troops;  and  meeting  two 
hundred  Covenanters,  who  were  protecting  a  field- 
meeting  near  Loudon  hill,  he  ordered  his  men  to 
fire  upon  them.  The  fire  was  returned  with  vigor 
by  the  Presbyterian  party,  who  at  last  rushed  upon 
their  assailants,  putting  them  to  flight  and  leaving 
forty  of  the  soldiers  dead  upon  the  field  of  battle. 
This  spirited  and  successful  contest  is  known  in 
history  as  the  battle  of  Drumclog. 

With  the  victors  the  question  to  be  decided  was 
whether  to  disperse,  or  to  remain  together  in  older 


118  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

to  protect  each  other.  The  latter  course  was  de- 
cided upon,  and  the  insurgents  were  joined  by  large 
numbers.  Unhappily,  however,  there  had  been 
no  previous  plans  or  concert  of  action  agreed  upon, 
and  differences  of  opinion  paralyzed  the  assembled 
forces.  One  party  was  for  asserting  their  loyalty 
to  the  king,  although  such  oppressive  tyranny  had 
been  practiced  in  his  name;  the  other  declared 
that  when  kings  violate  their  solemn  engagements 
with  their  subjects  and  become  tyrants,  the  people 
are  released  from  their  obligations  to  support  and 
defend  those  who  thus  oppress  them.  Neither 
party  would  submit  to  the  other,  and  the  scenes 
of  contention  which  arose  discouraged  those  already 
in  arms,  prevented  many  from  joining  the  army, 
and  led  others  to  abandon  the  cause.  After  seiz- 
ing Glasgow  the  insurgents  marched  toward  Ed- 
inburgh, then  returned  to  their  former  camp  on 
Hamilton  Moor,  near  Bothwell  Bridge.  Here  they 
were  met  by  the  royal  army  in  command  of  the 
duke  of  Monmouth,  who  ordered  them  to  lay 
down  their  arms  and  submit  themselves  to  the 
king's  clemency.  The  half  hour  given  them  for 
consultation  having  passed,  and  they  not  yielding, 
their  position  was  charged  by  a  detachment,  which 
attempted  to  wrest  the  bridge  from  them.  It  was 
defended  with  great  bravery,  but  want  of  proper 
support  and  a  superior  force  obliged  them  at  last 
to  yield  this,  the  key  of  the  position.  The  enemy, 
crossing  the  bridge  and  charging  the  undisciplined 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH   CHURCH.      H9 

and  poorly  commanded  army  of  Covenanters,  put 
them  to  flight,  hewing  down  large  numbers  of 
them  in  the  defenceless  rout.  While  but  few  fell 
during  the  conflict,  four  hundred  were  slain  in  their 
flight,  and  twelve  hundred  were  taken  prisoners, 
many  of  whom  afterward  perished  upon  the  scaf- 
fold. Such  was  the  result  of  the  battle  of  Both- 
wki/l  Bridge. 

The  Presbyterians  owed  their  defeat  mainly  to 
their  divided  councils.  Some  of  their  clergy  were 
among  the  "  indulged,"  and  had  been  restored  to 
their  pulpits  by  a  defection  from  their  principles, 
as  some  of  their  brethren  understood  it.  Others 
had  consented,  under  protest,  to  pay  the  tax  levied 
for  the  support  of  the  troops  engaged  in  plunder- 
ing the  adherents  of  the  Covenant,  while  many 
persistently  refused  to  pay  it.  These  irreconcila- 
ble opinions,  not  to  say  dissensions,  rendered  their 
overthrow  inevitable. 

But  disastrous  as  was  the  battle,  it  was  followed 
by  still  more  terrible  horrors.  The  prisoners,  bound 
together  two  and  two,  were  driven  to  Edinburgh  as 
cattle  to  the  slaughter.  Arriving  there,  they  were 
confined  for  five  months  in  Grayfriars'  church- 
yard, half  naked  and  half  starved,  without  any 
protection  from  the  cold  and  rain  except  the  tomb- 
stones, and  at  the  best  a  few  rude  huts.  Some  of 
them  were  hanged,  others  kept  a  long  time  in  vile 
prisons,  while  two  hundred  of  them  were  crowded 
into  a  small  vessel  to  be  transported  to  Barbadoes 


120  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

and  sold  for  slaves.  Upon  the  western  and  south- 
ern counties  "the  bloody  Claverhouse"  and  his 
cruel  soldiers  were  let  loose  to  fine,  imprison,  tor- 
ture and  murder  all  suspected  of  aiding  or  approv- 
ing of  the  late  rising.  Indiscriminate  carnage  fol- 
lowed. The  country  was  put  under  martial  law, 
and  unparalleled  atrocities  were  committed  by  the 
licentious  soldiery.  The  people  who  fled  from 
their  homes  were  shot  down  in  the  fields,  while 
their  houses  were  pillaged  and  burnt ;  aged  men  of 
threescore  and  ten  were  dashed  to  the  ground  and 
trampled  under  foot ;  the  sick  were  dragged  from 
their  beds  and  murdered ;  women  were  subjected 
to  brutal  violence  worse  than  death  itself;  and 
tender  youth  were  tortured  with  the  hope  to  wring 
from  them  the  place  of  concealment  of  their  pa- 
rents. In  a  word,  complete  desolation  reigned 
wherever  the  fierce  exterminators  went. 

Even  yet  the  persecutors  were  not  weary  of  their 
merciless  but  fruitless  work.  The  following  year 
they  were  allowed  to  glut  their  vengeance  upon 
such  distinguished  victims  as  Richard  Cameron, 
Donald  Cargill  and  Hackson  of  Rathillet,  whose 
heads  and  hands  were  cut  off,  and  the  former  fixed 
on  spikes  above  two  of  the  gates  of  Edinburgh. 
In  1681  a  new  engine  of  tyranny  was  devised. 
This  was  the  infamous  Test  Act — a  long,  complex 
oath,  which  bound  those  who  took  it  to  acknow- 
ledge the  supremacy  of  the  king  in  all  cases,  eccle- 
siastical as  well  as  civil,  to  renounce  the  Covenants, 


HISTORY  OF  THE  scotch  CHURCH.     121 

and  to  promise  that  under  no  circumstances  they 

would  attempt  the  alteration  of  the  government  of 
either  Church  or  State.  This  last  of  necessity 
implied  on  the  part  of  Presbyterians  a  complete 
abandonment  of  the  principles  for  which  they  had 
so  long  contended.  Portions  of  the  oath,  more- 
over, were  inconsistent  with  other  parts,  and  a  com- 
pliance with  it  was  therefore  impracticable.  But 
it  was  required  to  be  taken  by  all,  papists  alone 
excepted.  Some  of  the  prelatic  clergy — to  their 
credit  be  it  said — refused  to  take  the  test,  and  re- 
signed their  livings  rather  than  perjure  themselves. 
Large  numbers  of  the  nobility,  and  some  of  the 
bishops  even,  had  to  take  it  with  explanations. 
But  these  were  not  in  all  cases  allowed.  The  oath 
was  designed  originally  only  for  persons  occupying 
places  of  public  trust,  but  it  was  discovered  to  be 
so  comprehensive,  and  so  convenient  a  tool  of  per- 
secution, that  it  was  determined  to  impose  it  upon 
all.  The  earl  of  Argyle,  who  had  become  sus- 
pected by  the  duke  of  York  and  the  Scottish 
council  of  being  too  friendly  to  the  Covenanters, 
was  the  first  victim  of  the  test  act,  and  only 
escaped  the  vengeance  of  his  enemies  by  flying 
in  disguise  to  Holland.  All  his  past  services  to 
his  country,  his  high  rank  and  that  of  his  distin- 
guished ancestors,  availed  nothing  with  those  who 
sought  his  ruin.  His  offer  to  relinquish  his  heredi- 
tary possessions  and  evince  his  loyalty  as  a  private 
citizen   would  not  satisfy  his  enemies.     His  decli- 


122  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

nature  to  take  the  absurd  and  impious  bond  was 
sufficient  ground  to  proceed  against  him  as  a  crimi- 
nal, and  to  compel  him  to  seek  refuge  in  a  foreign 
land. 

Notwithstanding  the  espionage  of  the  curates, 
who  continued  to  be  diligently  employed  as  in- 
formers, and  the  activity  of  the  civil  magistrates, 
who  were  equally  zealous  in  inflicting  punishment 
upon  all  violators  of  the  unjust  and  absurd  acts  of 
the  king  and  council,  field-meetings  and  meetings 
for  consultation  were  occasionally  held  in  the  more 
secluded  parts  of  the  country.  The  holding  of 
such  a  meeting  in  1682  was  made  the  occasion 
for  issuing  a  violent  proclamation,  making  the  fail- 
ure to  give  information  of  such  assemblages  a 
crime  equal  in  magnitude  to  that  of  those  who 
took  part  in  them.  As  most  persons  objected  to 
be  employed  as  spies  and  informers,  military  offi- 
cers were  commissioned,  on  whom  was  conferred 
both  judicial  and  executive  authority.  They  could 
call  before  them  any  suspected  person  and  pass 
sentence  upon  him,  and  even  execute  those  whom 
they  chose.  Here  we  have  the  very  essence  of 
despotism.  And  our  abhorrence  is  increased  when 
we  learn  the  nature  of  the  offences  which  these 
military  judges  punished.  By  them  it  was  ad- 
judged a  crime  for  any  person  not  to  attend  on 
the  ministry  of  the  persecuting  prelates,  or  to  speak 
in  terms  of  respect  or  pity  of  those  who  had  suf- 
fered for  their  religion,  or  to  be  seen  reading  the 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.     123 

Bible  in  private,  or  heard  conducting  family  wor- 
ship in  one's  own  house.  For  these  and  similar 
offences  great  numbers  were  impoverished  by  ex- 
orbitant fines,  or  thrown  into  prison,  or  banished. 
The  estates  of  others  were  confiscated  under  the 
false  charge  of  constructive  treason,  which  latter 
proceeding  caused  such  dismay  among  landholders 
that  many  of  them  seriously  thought  of  abandon- 
ing their  native  land.  The  threat  of  the  popish 
duke  of  York,  that  "  Scotland  would  never  have 
peace  till  the  whole  country  south  of  the  Forth 
was  turned  into  a  hunting-field,"  was  yet,  they 
feared,  to  be  put  into  execution. 

An  event  occurred  in  1684  which  deserves  spe- 
cial mention.  It  was  a  warning  to  all  "intelli- 
gencers and  informers,"  by  the  persecuted  and 
outlawed  Covenanters,  that  the  limits  of  Chris- 
tian endurance  had  at  last  been  reached,  and  that 
retaliation  would  follow  any  further  acts  of  perse- 
cution. Having  been  hunted  like  wild  beasts 
and  obliged  to  make  their  abodes  in  caves  upon 
the  mountains,  or  in  rocky  glens  and  impenetrable 
thickets — and  even  in  these  their  wild  retreats  they 
were  not  secure  from  the  keen  scent  of  the  blood- 
hound informer — it  is  no  wonder  that  they  had 
finally,  "like  a  stag  at  bay,"  turned  upon  their 
pursuers.  Their  very  remarkable  paper,  or  "  apol- 
ogetical  declaration,"  they  caused  to  be  affixed 
on  the  market-crosses  of  the  chief  towns  of  Scot- 
land. 


124  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

The  effect  of  this  declaration  upon  the  inform- 
ers, curates  and  others  was  most  salutary.  These 
base  emissaries  showed  a  wholesome  fear  of  men 
rendered  desperate  by  long  and  intolerable  oppres- 
sion. They  dared  not  follow  them  to  their  deso- 
late retreats  and  furnish  lists  of  them  to  the  mili- 
tary judges.  But  the  fury  of  the  council  knew  no 
bounds,  and  it  hastened  to  forge  and  put  in  opera- 
tion another  terrible  weapon  of  persecution.  This 
is  known  as  "  the  Bloody  Act,"  which  ordained  that 
every  person  should  be  put  to  death  "  who  owns 
or  does  not  disown  the  late  traitorous  declaration." 
Commissions  were  issued  to  several  noblemen,  gen- 
tlemen and  military  officers,  requiring  them  to  as- 
semble all  the  inhabitants,  men  and  women,  above 
fourteen  years  of  age ;  and  if  any  owned  the  late 
declaration,  they  were  to  be  immediately  executed; 
while  those  who  were  absent  were  to  have  their 
houses  burned  and  their  goods  seized.  The  "  ab- 
juration oath"  was  also  framed  and  put  in  force, 
and  a  proclamation  issued  forbidding  any  one  to 
travel  without  having  a  certificate  of  his  loyalty, 
which  was  based  on  his  taking  the  last-named 
oath.  All  indulgences  were  recalled,  and  minis- 
ters were  obliged  to  give  bonds  not  to  preach  or 
teach  in  Scotland. 

Nothing  was  now  wanting,  as  it  would  seem,  to 
ensure  the  work  of  exterminating  the  Presbyte- 
rians. If  a  minister  preached  the  gospel,  he  was 
either  imprisoned,  exiled  or  hanged.     Those  who 


HISTORY   OF  THE  SCOTCH   CHURCH.      125 

refused  to  take  the  impious  and  contradictory  oath 
were  visited  with  instant  death  by  the  lawless  mili- 
tary commissions.  Those  who,  on  calls  of  duty  or 
business,  were  obliged  to  travel,  were  in  danger  of 
being  shot  down  by  the  soldiers,  without  even  the 
formality  of  an  inquiry  as  to  whether  they  had  the 
required  pass.  This  may  wTell  be  called,  as  it  has 
been  designated  in  the  history  of  the  period,  "the 
killing-time."  Without  a  recital  of  individual 
instances  of  cruelty  and  slaughter,  we  will  sum- 
marize what  is  needed  to  be  said,  and  that  in  the 
words  of  another:  "All  the  terrible  enginery  of 
persecution  was  now  brought  into  full  operation, 
and  the  practiced  hands  and  callous  hearts  of  the 
oppressors  wielded  their  murderous  weapons  with- 
out remorse.  When  disappointed  in  one  instance, 
their  savage  spirits  thirsted  the  more  intensely  for 
a  deeper  draught  of  blood  from  some  less  protected 
source.  Public  judicial  murders  gave  sanction  and 
encouragement  to  that  indiscriminate  slaughter  per- 
petrated by  the  soldiery  throughout  the  country, 
till  the  entire  west  and  south  of  Scotland  was  one 
field  of  blood." 


CHAPTER  V. 

From  the  Accession  of  James  II.  to  the 
Revolution  Settlement  and  the  Emigra- 
tion to  America. 

The  death  of  Charles  IT.,  February  6,  1685, 
occasioned  a  brief  pause  in  the  dreadful  persecu- 
tion which  the  Presbyterians  endured.  His  death 
was  attributed  to  apoplexy,  but  it  was  strongly 
suspected  that  he  died  of  poison.  Thus  perished 
a  monarch  ungrateful,  unprincipled  and  treacher- 
ous, and  whose  reign  was  mean,  disgraceful  and 
tyrannical.  So  soon  as  the  intelligence  of  the 
king's  death  reached  Scotland,  his  brother,  the 
duke  of  York,  was  proclaimed  sovereign,  and  in 
terms  which  recognized  him  as  the  source  of  all 
law,  civil  and  sacred.  Nor  was  he  reluctant  to 
use  the  despotic  powTer  thus  acknowledged  to  be  his 
by  divine  right.  A  prelatic,  and  consequently  an 
obsequious,  Parliament  was  called,  which  at  his  roy- 
al bidding  passed  a  number  of  the  most  infamous 
acts  imaginable.  By  these  the  giving  or  taking  the 
National  Covenant,  or  owning  that  it  or  the  Solemn 
League  and  Covenant  was  lawful  or  obligatory,  was 

126 


HISTORY   OF   THE  scon '11   CHURCH.      127 

a  treasonable  proceeding.  So  also  was  the  giving 
food  to,  or  concealing  those  who  had  been  declared 
traitors,  and  the  punishment  of  death  was  to  be 
extended  to  hearers  as  well  as  preachers  at  conven- 
ticles. It  was  an  act  of  treason,  also,  if  at  family 
worship  five  individuals  more  than  the  members 
of  the  household  were  present,  and  the  test  oath 
was  imposed  upon  all,  papist*  alone  excepted. 

It  was  apparent  that  James  was  determined  to 
remove  all  limits  to  the  royal  prerogative  and  to 
force  upon  Scotland  his  own  religion.  But  the  time 
had  not  yet  come  for  an  avowal  of  his  design  to 
root  out  the  established  faith  j  for  though  many 
were  ready  to  promise  abject  submission  to  the 
king's  will,  he  knew  the  nation  was  at  heart  de- 
cidedly Protestant  and  that  his  throne  would  be 
endangered  if  he  openly  attacked  the  Church.  The 
better  to  conceal  his  real  and  ultimate  purpose,  an 
indemnity  was  published,  which  was,  however,  so 
framed  as  to  shut  out  all  nonconformists  from  the 
advantages  of  the  indulgence.  The  bishops  and 
magistrates  wTere  instigated  to  employ  still  harsher 
measures  toward  the  Presbyterians,  and  the  same 
murderous  system  which,  before  the  death  of  his 
brother,  had  excited  the  greatest  horror,  was  con- 
tinued. Drummond,  one  of  the  most  cruel  of  the 
generals,  was  given  a  commission  authorizing  him 
to  hold  courts  at  his  pleasure,  to  exact  fines,  and  to 
inflict  summary  punishment  upon  all  persons  who 
had  performed  any  of  the   most  common  acts  of 


128  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

humanity  for  the  proscribed,  and  to  call  to  his  as- 
sistance the  "Highland  Host" — soldiers  composed 
of  the  very  refuse  of  society  in  that  uncivilized 
region.  This  part  of  Scotland,  being  now  put 
under  military  law,  was  exposed  to  all  the  ex- 
cesses and  to  the  devastation  which  would  natu- 
rally be  committed  by  undisciplined  and  savage 
men,  guided  by  passion  and  stimulated  by  love 
of  plunder. 

While  this  infamous  persecution  was  in  progress, 
intelligence  was  received  that  the  earl  of  Argvle 
had  left  Holland,  and  had  entered  the  kingdom 
"  for  the  purpose  of  recovering  the  religion,  rights 
and  liberties  "  of  the  people.  This  dangerous  en- 
terprise was  undertaken  without  proper  consulta- 
tion or  preparation,  the  earl  expecting  that  his 
rank  and  personal  influence,  combined  with  the 
justice  of  the  cause,  would  induce  the  disaffected 
to  flock  to  his  standard.  He  soon  found  that  he 
had  greatly  erred  in  his  estimate  of  the  assistance 
expected.  He  was  distrusted  by  the  Covenanters, 
both  as  to  his  principles  and  his  military  talents, 
and  they  refused  to  unite  with  him.  His  own 
forces,  few  in  number  and  much  dispirited,  were 
soon  dispersed,  and  their  leader,  having  been  taken 
prisoner,  was  brought  in  triumph  to  Edinburgh, 
where  he  was  afterward  executed.  The  intrepidity 
and  tranquillity  of  spirit  with  which  the  earl  met 
his  fate  served  to  deepen  the  impression  in  the 
public    mind  of  his  patriotism    and    his   personal 


HISTORY   OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.     129 

piety,  and  to  cause  him  to  be  regarded  as  a  noble 
martyr  in  the  sacred  cause  of  civil  and  religious 
liberty. 

When  the  apprehension  occasioned  by  the  re- 
bellion had  passed  away,  the  persecution  against 
the  Presbyterians  was  renewed  with  merciless 
severity,  for  the  king  believed  that  they  were 
secretly  friendly  to  Argyle,  though  they  had  de- 
clined to  join  his  standard.  Multitudes  were 
forced  into  banishment,  many  of  them  after  their 
persons  had  been  disfigured  by  torture;  others 
were  put  into  dark  subterranean  dungeons  full 
of  mire  and  filth,  where  they  were  denied  every 
comfort,  and  where  many  of  them  died  for  want 
of  food  and  air;  others  still  were  wantonly  mur- 
dered in  the  fields  and  their  families  stripped  of 
all  their  possessions.  But  there  was  soon  to  be  an 
end  to  these  fiend-like  outrages,  and  we  are  to  be 
spared  the  recital  of  horrors  that  make  humanity 
shudder.  Although  some  instances  of  cruelty  oc- 
curred in  the  two  following  years,  a  change  in  the 
government  took  place  which  happily  brought  im- 
mediate relief  to  those  who  had  endured  all  things, 
not  even  "counting  their  lives  dear  unto  them,"  in 
order  to  uphold  constitutional  liberty  and  the  right 
to  worship  their  Maker  as  their  enlightened  con- 
sciences dictated. 

The  king,  through  his  exterminating  process  with 
the  Covenanters,  had  so  far  reduced  the  number  of 
his  victims,  and  had   succeeded  in  so  enlarging  his 


130  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

prerogative  by  means  of  a  purely  prelatic  Parlia- 
ment, that  he  believed  the  time  had  come  when  he 
could  with  safety  enter  upon  his  schemes  in  favor 
of  popery.  Having  already,  as  we  have  seen,  ex- 
empted the  papists  from  the  operation  of  the  Test 
oath,  his  next  step  was  to  remove  all  their  civil 
disabilities.  But  the  English  Parliament  refused 
to  repeal  the  penal  statutes  against  them,  believing 
that  if  tolerated  they  would  subvert  the  religion 
of  the  kingdom.  Foiled  in  England,  James  had 
recourse  to  the  Parliament  of  Scotland.  At  last, 
however,  some  of  this  obsequious  body  saw  the 
danger  which  threatened.  Even  the  subservient 
prelates  who  had  been  most  forward  in  offering 
the  incense  of  non-resistance  to  the  royal  nostrils 
when  the  king's  enemies  were  theirs,  were  now  con- 
vinced that  if  the  penal  statutes  against  Roman 
Catholics  should  be  repealed,  and  all  offices  of  trust 
and  authority  be  opened  to  them,  the  Church  of 
Rome,  with  all  its  intolerance  and  superstitions, 
would  soon  be  restored.  Laying  aside,  therefore, 
their  animosities  to  the  Presbyterians,  they  joined 
them  in  resisting  the  demands  of  a  popish  ruler. 
The  most  that  could  be  wrung  from  the  Parliament 
by  the  king's  commissioner  was  that  His  Majesty's 
commands  would  be  taken  into  "serious  and  duti- 
ful consideration,"  all  being  agreed  that  papists 
should  be  protected  in  their  civil  rights  and 
should  be  free  from  punishment  for  privately  ex- 
ercising their  religion.     No  compromise  was  pro- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.      131 

posed  or  made  that  could  endanger  the  Protestant 
faith,  and  it  was,  moreover,  enacted  that  the  stat- 
utes which  the  king  wished  set  aside  "should  con- 
tinue in  full  force,  strength  and  effect."  The 
Parliament,  proving  unyielding,  was  prorogued, 
and  King  James  sent  a  letter  to  the  council,  in 
which  he  claimed  "his  undoubted  right  and  pre- 
rogative "  to  "  take  the  Roman  Catholics  under 
his  royal  protection,  allowing  to  them  the  free 
exercise  of  their  religion  and  giving  to  them 
the  chapel  of  Holyrood  House  for  a  place  of 
public  worship."  He  thus  wielded  in  behalf  of 
popery  the  formidable  weapon  which  had  been 
placed  in  his  hands  by  the  prelatic  party,  who  had 
so  repeatedly  declared  that  the  will  of  the  sovereign 
was  the  fountain  of  all  law,  which  no  subject  could 
question  or  resist. 

The  monarch  was  undoubtedly  much  surprised 
at  the  opposition  his  scheme  encountered  from 
Episcopalians.  He  supposed — and  not  without 
good  reason — from  their  passive  obedience  to  the 
royal  will  heretofore,  that  they  would  not  resist  a 
change  which  simply  made  the  pope  instead  of 
the  king  the  head  of  the  Church.  In  this  he 
was  greatly  mistaken,  for  the  Episcopal  Church 
was  still  Protestant,  though  prelatic.  The  resist- 
ance of  the  prelates,  joined  with  that  of  Parlia- 
ment, determined  James  to  make  a  total  change  in 
his  mode  of  procedure.  Instead  of  continuing  a 
fierce  persecutor  of  nonconformists,  he  adopted  the 


132  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

policy  of  universal  toleration.  He  was  forced  to 
this  course  as  the  only  available  way  in  which  he 
could  extend  the  protection  he  desired  to  those  of 
his  own  faith.  Three  acts  of  indulgence  were 
published,  avowedly  to  relieve  dissenters  from  the 
disabilities  they  were  under,  and  to  allow  liberty 
of  conscience  to  all,  but  evidently  to  render  pap- 
ists eligible  to  places  of  public  trust;  and  hence 
care  was  taken,  in  the  very  first  of  these  acts,  to 
annul  all  laws  that  had  been  passed  in  Parliament 
against  Roman  Catholics.  Each  of  these  acts,  too, 
affirmed  in  behalf  of  the  king  a  dispensing  and 
absolute  power,  at  direct  variance  with  all  civil 
and  religious  liberty.  Their  language  was,  "By 
his  sovereign  authority,  prerogative  royal  and  abso- 
lute power  "  these  favors  were  granted.  The  pur- 
pose was  so  plain  that  it  would  seem  no  one  could 
be  deceived  by  the  king's  pretences.  The  despotic 
authority  assumed  in  these  acts  of  toleration 
should  have  induced  their  rejection  by  all  who 
were  unwilling  to  surrender  the  liberty  of  their 
country,  and  the  favor  shown  to  the  papists 
should  have  led  all  true  Protestants  to  combine 
in  order  to  prevent  the  triumph  of  popery,  and  to 
save  themselves  from  the  thralldom  of  the  papal 
yoke. 

The  last  act  of  indulgence  was  framed  with  the 
intention  of  pleasing,  and  possibly  winning  over, 
the  less  scrupulous  Presbyterians.  Hence  it  sus- 
pended all  penal  laws  made  against  nonconformity 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH     133 

to  the  established  religion,  and  allowed  Presbyte- 
rians "  to  meet  and  serve  God  after  their  own  way 
and  manner,  be  it  in  private  houses,  chapels,  or  places 
purposely  hired  or  built  for  that  purpose."  The 
only  limitation  was  that  of  field-preaching,  against 
which  the  laws  were  left  in  full  force.  It  should 
not  surprise  any  one  that  this  sudden  deliverance 
from  persecution,  and  the  granting  of  these  unusual 
privileges,  made  a  deep  impression  upon  those  to 
whom  they  were  extended,  or  that  in  the  vehe- 
mence of  their  feelings,  caused  by  the  longing  de- 
sire once  more  to  preach  the  blessed  gospel  to  their 
former  congregations,  some  ministers  overlooked  the 
dangerous  exertion  of  power  to  which  they  were 
indebted.  A  large  portion  of  the  Presbyterian 
ministers  in  Scotland  embraced  the  opportunity  to 
resume  public  worship  and  to  collect  again  their 
scattered  flocks.  Several  who  had  fled  to  Hol- 
land came  back  and  renewed  their  labors  in  their 
former  parishes.  Many  of  the  people,  released 
from  prison  or  coming  from  their  places  of  con- 
cealment, returned  to  their  former  homes,  and  en- 
gaged anew  in  their  work  of  building  up  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  And  while,  in  accepting 
this  clemency,  they  made  at  least  a  partial  ac- 
knowledgment of  the  royal  supremacy  in  matters 
spiritual,  "  they  refused  to  make  the  slightest 
compliance  which  could  give  any  advantage  to 
popery,  and  they  were  even  charged  with  in- 
gratitude for   the    boldness    and  the    success    with 


134  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

which  Jiey  warned  their  hearers  against  its  intro- 
duction." 

But  the  strict  Covenanters  were  more  consistent 
in  their  course,  and  adhered  more  resolutely  to 
Presbyterian  principles.  They  promptly  rejected 
every  indulgence  or  toleration  of  "  man's  inalien- 
able right  to  worship  God  according  to  his  revealed 
will  and  the  dictates  of  an  enlightened  conscience," 
especially  when  such  indulgence  is  founded  upon 
"  the  unlimited  prerogative  and  absolute  power  of 
the  monarch — a  principle  equally  inconsistent  with 
the  laws  of  God  and  the  liberties  of  mankind." 
Defying  the  king's  threats  and  spurning  his  favors, 
they  kept  on  their  course.  Their  field -preaching 
was  continued,  and  they  disregarded  the  laws  which 
were  still  in  force  against  conventicles.  Renwick, 
one  of  their  most  revered  and  courageous  preach- 
ers, was  apprehended  and  publicly  executed — a  man 
of  heroic  mould,  "  inflexible  as  Knox  and  vehement 
as  Melville" — closing  by  his  death  that  long  list  of 
martyrs  who  sealed  with  their  blood  their  testimony 
in  behalf  of  civil  and  religious  liberty  in  Scotland. 

While  James  was  persecuting  in  Scotland  all 
who  dared  oppose  his  wishes  to  introduce  the 
Roman  Catholic  religion,  whether  Covenanters, 
the  indulged  ministers,  or  the  seven  prelatic  bish- 
ops, whom  he  confined  in  the  Tower  for  petitioning 
against  being  compelled  to  read  one  of  his  arbi- 
trary indulgences  from  the  pulpit,  he  was  at  the 
same  time,  by  his  despotic  acts  in  England,  alienat- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.      135 

ing  the  feelings  of  the  people  and  inciting  them 
to  resist  his  arbitrary  rule.  The  nation  was  ready 
for  a  change,  and  the  great  majority  of  those  who 
still  loved  freedom  instinctively  turned  to  William, 
prince  )f  Orange,  the  son-in-law  of  James,  as  the 
defender  of  the  Protestant  faith  and  of  constitu- 
tional law  and  liberty.  That  prince,  having  close- 
ly watched  the  state  of  affairs  in  Britain,  was  con- 
vinced that  the  favorable  moment  had  come  when 
it  was  his  duty  to  attempt  to  save  the  nation. 

Making  his  preparations  as  speedily  as  was 
possible,  William  set  sail  for  England,  and  land- 
ed at  Torbay,  November  5,  1688,  without  opposi- 
tion. He  issued  a  proclamation  which  contained 
the  reasons  that  had  induced  him  to  appear  in 
arms.  These  were,  in  brief,  his  desire  to  pre- 
serve the  Protestant  religion  and  restore  the  laws 
and  the  liberties  of  the  kingdom.  At  first  few 
joined  him  and  there  seemed  but  little  desire  for 
the  change  which  he  sought  to  accomplish.  The 
prospect,  however,  soon  brightened.  The  procla- 
mation was  spread  throughout  the  length  and 
breadth  of  the  land  by  the  zealous  Covenanters, 
and  made  a  deep  impression  upon  the  public  mind. 
Most  of  the  nobility  and  gentlemen  of  Scotland 
declared  for  the  prince,  and  these  were  followed  by 
the  army  and  navy  of  the  kingdom.  The  king, 
after  some  feeble  attempts  to  assert  his  authority 
and  to  regain  the  affection  of  his  people,  fled,  an 
exile  from  his  throne  and  kingdom,  and  the  prince 


136  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

of  Orange  became  the  successful  vindicator  of  the 
liberties  of  England.  Thus  the  Revolution  was 
accomplished,  and  the  Presbyterian  Church  was 
again  established  in  Scotland.  The  formidable 
structure  which  the  two  tyrants,  Charles  and 
James,  with  the  willing  assistance  of  the  prelates, 
had  spent  twenty-eight  years  in  erecting,  and 
which  had  been  cemented  with  the  blood  of  ten 
thousand  victims,  was  thus  overthrown  almost  in 
a  moment. 

During  all  this  stormy  period  of  persecution 
the  exertions  of  the  bishops  and  the  mandates 
and  violence  of  despotic  power  had  failed  to  make 
any  real  progress  in  bringing  over  the  people  of 
Scotland  to  the  episcopal  Church.  For  nearly 
thirty  years  prelacy  had  had  almost  unlimited 
sway,  with  its  hard  task  lightened  by  govern- 
mental aid.  It  had  been  armed  with  influence 
and  dignity,  the  offices  of  trust  and  honor  in  the 
kingdom  had  been  largely  filled  by  prelates,  and 
the  civil  and  military  power  of  the  nation  had 
been  employed  to  do  its  bidding.  With  this  power 
and  prestige,  is  it  not  a  remarkable  fact  that  dur- 
ing all  this  period  it  never  ventured  to  attempt  to 
introduce  the  ceremonies  of  the  English  Church? 
It  instinctively  knew  that  this  would  have  been  a 
perilous  undertaking.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the 
form  of  worship  differed  little  from  the  Presby- 
terian. There  was  no  liturgy,  no  ceremonies,  no 
surplice,  no  altars,  no  crossing  in  baptism.     Even 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH     137 

the  Perth  articles  were  very  generally  ignored. 
Nor  was  there  any  new  confession  of  faith  intro- 
duced, nor  any  new  standard  of  doctrine  or  disci- 
pline, except  the  will  of  the  bishops,  themselves  the 
creatures  of  the  will  of  the  king.  It  was  truly,  as 
some  one  has  said,  a  "  nondescript "  Church — as 
much  so  as  is  possible  to  be  conceived  ;  for  it  was 
neither  popery,  prelacy  nor  presbytery,  but  a 
strange  jumble  of  all  three,  with  the  king  for 
pope,  his  council  for  cardinals,  the  bishops  for 
moderators,  and  the  dragoons  of  Dalziel,  Turner 
and  Claverhouse  (as  Makenzie  called  them)  for 
"ruling  elders."  Not  less  absurd  were  some  of 
the  statutes  enacted  by  this  great  politico-ecclesias- 
tical authority.  During  its  supreme  reign  a  law 
was  passed  forbidding  ministers  lecturing,  in  which 
method  of  instruction  it  was  discovered  Presby- 
terian divines  excelled.  A  preacher  might  speak 
all  day  or  all  night,  provided  he  selected  but  a 
single  verse  of  Scripture  for  a  text ;  but  if  he  chose 
two  or  more  verses,  he  exposed  himself  to  the  pen- 
alties of  treason. 

Prelacy  in  Scotland  showed  itself  to  the  very 
last  to  be  a  slavish,  intolerant,  irreligious  and  per- 
secuting system  as  well  as  a  foe  to  civil  and  relig- 
ious freedom.  When  the  fortunes  of  the  prince  of 
Orange  were  for  a  brief  time  obscured  by  disaster, 
the  Scottish  prelates,  with  the  exception  of  two, 
hastened  to  send  the  tyrant  James  a  letter  con- 
taining  the  most    extravagant    eulogiums  of  him 


13S  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

and  his  government;  avowing  their  steadfast  alle- 
giance to  him,  they  concluded  by  wishing  him 
"the  hearts  of  his  subjects  and  the  necks  of  his 
enemies."  When  we  remember  that  this  letter 
was  addressed  to  a  sovereign  who  had  clearly 
shown  his  intention  to  subvert  the  freedom  and 
the  religion  of  the  kingdom,  and  was  designed  to 
defeat  a  prince  who  had  inscribed  upon  his  ban- 
ners, "  The  Protestant  religion  and  the  liberties  of 
England,"  and  who  had  come  to  put  an  end  to  the 
system  of  tyranny  which  had  deluged  the  country 
with  blood,  it  is  difficult  to  conceive  anything  more 
base  and  servile.  It  was  followed,  too,  by  resistance 
to  the  rightful  authority  of  William,  by  maintaining 
a  secret  correspondence  with  the  exiled  tyrant,  and 
by  furnishing  him  information  and  supplies  of  men 
and  money.  It  was  only  the  inflexible  adherence 
to  right  principles  on  the  part  of  Presbyterians, 
their  fortitude  in  enduring  every  extremity  of 
suffering  under  long  and  relentless  persecution, 
and  their  united  and  earnest  support  of  a  Protes- 
tant prince,  that  prevented  Scotland  from  being 
reduced  to  a  state  of  abject  slavery. 

Looking,  then,  upon  prelacy  as  the  enemy  of 
civil  and  religious  freedom,  as  they  were  forced  to 
do,  it  would  have  been  strange  indeed  if  Presby- 
terians had  not  refused  to  fellowship  the  prelates 
when  restored  to  their  former  rights  and  privi- 
leges. It  was  to  be  expected  also  that  when  they 
had  the  power  they  would  embrace  the  opportunity 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH      139 

to  expel  the  prelatic  curates  from  the  positions  into 
which  they  had  intruded,  and  deprive  them  of  the 
parish  property  which  they  had  unlawfully  seized. 
Some  of  these  merciless  persecutors,  they  turned 
out  of  their  usurped  residences,  and,  taking  them 
to  the  boundaries  of  their  parishes,  sent  them  away, 
without  offering  them  further  violence.  The  won- 
der is  that  many  of  these  wretched  men  had  not  to 
atone  with  their  lives  for  the  system  of  espionage 
which  they  had  employed,  and  the  cruelties  they 
had  been  instrumental  in  having  inflicted  upon 
their  defenceless  Protestant  brethren.  The  clem- 
ency of  the  Presbyterians  toward  their  enemies, 
in  this  the  hour  of  their  triumph,  is  one  of  the 
strongest  evidences  that  can  be  adduced  of  their 
humane  disposition  and  that  they  possessed  the 
true  spirit  of  the  gospel — a  gospel  of  peace  and 
brotherly  kindness. 

The  English  people  united  with  those  of  Scot- 
land, in  declaring  that  James  had  violated  the  fun- 
damental laws  of  the  kingdom  and  had  forfeited  his 
right  to  the  government,  and  in  placing  the  prince 
of  Orange  on  the  vacant  throne.  William  lost  no 
time  in  calling  together  the  leading  Scottish  noble- 
men and  gentlemen  who  were  in  London,  to  coun- 
sel with  them  as  to  the  best  method  to  secure  the 
civil  and  religious  liberties  of  the  country.  They 
advised  that  a  representative  convention  should  be 
held  in  Edinburgh,  and  that  in  the  selection  of 
members  all  Protestants  should  have  the  right  of 


140  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

ballot  and  of  serving  as  members.  The  convention 
met  on  the  14th  of  March,  1689,  when  it  ratified 
the  acts  of  the  English  legislature  and  adopted 
measures  for  settling  the  government.  In  the 
Claim  of  Right,  which  forms  the  basis  of  the  set- 
tlement to  which  they  gave  their  assent,  it  is  assert- 
ed u  that  prelacy  and  the  superiority  of  any  office 
in  the  Church  above  presbyters  is  and  hath  been  a 
great  and  insupportable  grievance  and  trouble  to 
this  nation,  and  contrary  to  the  inclinations  of  the 
generality  of  the  people  ever  since  the  Reforma- 
tion, they  having  been  reformed  from  popery  by 
presbyters,  and  therefore  ought  to  be  abolished. " 
And  when  the  convention  assumed  the  status  of  a 
Parliament  by  permission  of  the  king,  they  passed 
an  act  "abolishing  prelacy  and  all  superiority  of 
any  office  in  the  Church  above  presbyters,"  and 
rescinded  all  acts  of  previous  Parliaments  by  which 
prelacy  had  been  established.  Through  the  de- 
sire of  the  king,  who  favored,  for  State  reasons,  a 
union  of  the  prelatic  clergy  and  the  Presbyterian 
ministers  in  one  and  the  same  Church,  the  complete 
settlement  of  the  question  of  church  government 
was  deferred  until  the  next  Parliament. 

This  met  in  April,  1690,  and  was  chiefly  occu- 
pied with  ecclesiastical  matters.  The  act  of  suprem- 
acy, the  fruitful  source  of  persecution  in  previous 
reigns,  and  against  which  the  Presbyterian  Church 
steadily  and  uniformly  protested,  was  formally  re- 
pealed.    The    ejected   Presbyterian  ministers  who 


HISTORY   OF   THE  scotch  CHURCH.      141 

yet  survived  were  restored  to  their  churches,  and 
the  prelatic  incumbents  were  ordered  to  be  removed 
from  the  usurped  parishes.  Sixty  of  those  who 
had  been  compelled  to  give  up  their  parishes  in 
1661  were  still  living,  and  were  by  this  act  allowed 
to  enter  upon  their  duties  and  receive  their  salaries. 
The  fines  and  forfeitures  of  the  persecuted  were  re- 
moved, and  the  laws  against  conventicles  and  non- 
conformity, as  well  as  all  the  tests  and  oaths,  with 
their  fearful  penalties,  were  repealed.  On  the  7th 
of  June,  1690,  the  memorable  act  was  passed 
"ratifying  the  Confession  of  Faith  and  settling 
Presbyterian  church  government."  The  Presby- 
terian government  is  characterized  in  this  act  as 
"  the  government  of  Christ's  Church  within  this 
nation  agreeable  to  the  word  of  God,  and  most 
conducive  to  the  advancement  of  true  piety  and 
godliness;"  and  taking  the  statute  of  1592  a*,  the 
model,  the  different  courts,  sessions,  presbyteries, 
synods  and  General  Assemblies  were  restored. 
The  members  of  these  courts  were  declared  to 
be  the  Presbyterian  ministers  who  had  been 
ejected  and  who  were  now  restored  to  then  liv- 
ings, and  such  ministers  and  elders  as  they  have 
or  may  hereafter  admit. 

By  the  ratification  of  the  Confession  of  Faith  the 
great  principle  that  Christ  is  the  sole  Head  of  the 
Church,  and — its  direct  consequence — the  Church's 
spiritual  independence  of  an  earthly  sovereign,  were 
affirmed.      This   was   one  of  the   chief    principles 


142  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

for  which  the  Presbyterian  Church  had  to  long 
contended,  and  no  settlement  could  be  satisfactory 
to  Presbyterians  that  did  not  secure  the  Church 
her  freedom.  It  was  now  necessary,  as  the  next 
most  important  legislative  measure,  to  protect,  as 
far  as  possible,  the  religious  rights  and  privileges  of 
the  members  of  the  churches.  This  was  done  by 
an  act  which  made  void  the  power  of  presenting 
ministers  to  vacant  churches,  and  transferred  to  the 
people  the  right  of  selecting  their  pastors.  By  this 
it  was  intended  to  abolish  patronage  entirely,  and 
to  permit  the  voice  of  the  people  to  be  supreme  in 
the  choice  of  ministers.  Thus  the  independence 
of  the  Church  and  State,  in  their  respective  spheres, 
was  clearly  defined  and  asserted,  while  the  many 
causes  for  jealousy  between  them,  and  which  had 
produced  so  much  friction  in  past  times,  were  now 
happily  removed. 

To  give  effect  to  these  legislative  enactments,  a 
General  Assembly  was  called,  to  meet  in  Edin- 
burgh in  October.  Many  and  formidable  were  the 
difficulties  it  had  to  face  and  overcome.  Within 
the  Assembly  were  many  jarring  and  discordant 
elements,  scarcely  possible  to  be  reconciled  ;  while 
without,  and  pressing  for  consideration,  were  the 
well-known  wishes  of  the  king  for  a  union  be- 
tween the  prelatic  clergy  and  the  restored  Presby- 
terian ministers,  under  the  same  form  of  church 
government.  Within  the  Church  were  three  par- 
ties— the  ejected  ministers,  numbering  about  sixty  ; 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH      143 

the  Cameronians,  only  throe  in  number;  and  the 
indulged  ministers,  who  had  conformed  more  or 
less  to  prelacy,  and  whose  numbers  were  more 
than  twice  that  of  both  the  other  classes  com- 
bined. It  was  evident,  therefore,  that  no  measure 
could  be  carried  in  the  Assembly  by  the  more 
strict  and  faithful  ministers  if  the  latter  party 
should  resolve  to  oppose  it;  and  it  was  too  much 
to  expect  that  men  who  had  submitted  to  the 
tyrannous  acts  of  the  preceding  reigns  would 
forfeit  the  favor  of  William,  by  opposing  his  de- 
sire to  have  the  prelatic  clergy  included  in  the 
established  Church. 

We  have  referred  to  these  things,  not  to  excuse 
the  weak  policy  of  those  who  temporized  at  this 
important  juncture,  but  to  show  the  causes  which 
were  in  operation,  and  which  led  to  the  compro- 
mise finally  made.  It  was  the  duty  of  the  Assembly 
to  see  that  none  of  the  inherent  and  essential  prin- 
ciples of  the  Presbyterian  Church  should  be  over- 
borne or  sacrificed  through  any  plea  of  expediency. 
By  yielding  to  the  policy  of  William,  and  adopting 
measures  of  comprehension  that  retained  large 
numbers  of  the  prelatic  clergy  within  the  national 
Church,  a  grievous  error  was  committed,  and  its 
disastrous  influence  was  long  felt  in  Scotland. 
These  Episcopalians  were  not  overscrupulous. 
They  did  not  hesitate  to  subscribe  with  alacrity 
the  Confession  of  Faith  in  order  to  retain  their 
positions.     But  their  presence  in  the  Church  and 


144  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

their  influence  acted  as  a  poison  in  the  Presby- 
terian system.  It  was  the  noxious  seed  of  "  mod- 
eratism,"  which  proved  in  the  succeeding  century 
the  upas  tree  of  the  Church  of  Scotland.  Her 
jure  divino  Presbyterianism  on  one  hand,  and  her 
Arminian,  if  not  worldly,  moderatism  on  the  other, 
were  most  disastrous  to  her  peace  and  purity.  But 
while  we  regret  that  the  revolution  settlement  was 
imperfect  in  this  respect,  we  must  never  cease  to  be 
grateful  to  the  persecuted  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Scotland,  which  maintained  the  great  principle  of 
the  spiritual  independence  of  the  Church  of  Christ 
and  the  right  of  Christian  people  to  choose  their 
own  spiritual  advisers,  and  in  this  way  secured  an 
amount  of  civil  and  religious  freedom,  in  both  the 
Church  and  the  kingdom,  far  greater  than  had 
ever  before  been  enjoyed. 

In  tracing  this  history  from  the  introduction  of 
the  Reformation  in  Scotland  to  the  revolution,  where 
we  now  leave  it,  we  have  constantly  been  reminded 
of  the  intimate  connection  between  civil  and  re- 
ligious liberty,  and  that  the  latter  not  only  influ- 
enced, but  produced,  the  former.  It  is  true  that  the 
resistance  of  the  Scottish  Church  proceeded  from  a 
higher  principle  than  simply  to  assert  and  maintain 
the  civil  liberties  of  the  country.  The  contest,  on  its 
part,  was  waged  in  defence  of  the  central  principle 
of  religious  freedom — that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is 
the  sole  Head  and  King  of  the  Church,  and  that, 
within  its  domain,  the  civil  magistrate  has  no  right 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SCOTCH  CHURCH.     145 

to  intrude  with  his  authority.  This  great  principle, 
when  fully  recognized  by  the  civil  ruler,  preserves 
the  consciences  of  men  free  from  the  control  of 
external  power ;  and  where  the  conscience  is  free, 
the  subject  cannot  be  made  a  slave.  This  fact 
was  most  clearly  perceived  by  the  brother  tyrants 
Charles  and  James,  and  they  employed  the  oath  of 
supremacy  as  their  chief  weapon  to  destroy  this 
grand  and  fundamental  principle  of  religious 
liberty.  If  it  could  be  overthrown,  it  would  be 
easy  to  build  upon  its  ruins  a  despotic  govern- 
ment. But  our  Presbyterian  fathers,  recognizing 
the  fact  that  civil  and  religious  liberty  exist  or 
perish  together,  were  constrained  to  contend 
equally  for  both  ;  and  what  the  world  to-day 
enjoys  of  both,  it  owes  very  largely  to  the  un- 
conquerable fortitude  with  which  they  encoun- 
tered the  perils  and  endured  the  sufferings  which 
cruel,  persecuting  and  despotic  rulers  inflicted. 

With  such  a  history  and  with  such  a  providen- 
tial training,  it  would  indeed  have  been  strange  if 
the  descendants  of  these  heroic  defenders  of  the 
faith  should  not  manifest  a  strong  attachment  to 
the  Presbyterian  form  of  doctrine  and  government 
wherever  they  made  their  homes  in  America.  Past 
experience  had  shown  their  fathers,  even  if  they 
themselves  had  not  learned  it  by  personal  experience, 
that  prelacy  and  Romanism  were  the  natural  allies 
of  the  despot — that  they  had  always  been  ready  to 
bend  their  supple  knees  to  secure  royal  favor,  and 
10 


146  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

to  submit  their  necks  to  the  yoke  of  bondage  which 
the  oath  of  supremacy  imposed  upon  the  subject — 
and  consequently  both  were  to  be  distrusted  and 
opposed.  With  a  zeal,  therefore,  born  of  know- 
ledge, they  not  only  made  very  strenuous  efforts, 
but  endured  many  privations,  in  order  to  success- 
fully establish  Presbyterian  ism  in  the  New  World, 
for  they  felt  assured  that  in  its  extension,  all  could 
enjoy  freedom  of  conscience  and  constitutional 
liberty.  The  principles  which  moulded  their  cha- 
racters, and  the  spirit  which  actuated  those  who 
came  from  Scotland  to  this  country,  made  them 
not  only  an  important  element  in  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church,  but  a  tower  of  strength  to  the  young 
nation  when  it  was  compelled  to  resist  the  exercise 
of  arbitrary  power  by  England. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

From  the  Introduction   of  the  Reformed 
Religion  to  the  Great  Revival  of  1625. 

During  the  first  half  century  of  its  history, 
American  Presbyterian  ism  was  largely  indebted 
for  its  growth  and  efficiency  to  the  pious  and  wor- 
thy immigrants  who  sought  refuge  in  this  country. 
Holland,  France,  England,  Scotland  and  Ireland 
all  made  liberal  contributions  of  their  very  best 
people.  These  colonists,  while  diverse  in  their 
origin,  were  singularly  harmonious  in  their  politi- 
cal principles  and  their  religious  faith.  Doubt- 
less this  was  owing  to  the  fact  that  they  were  per- 
secuted heroes  who  had  suffered  in  common  for 
their  resistance  to  despotic  power;  and  as  exiles 
for  conscience'  sake,  they  were  agreed  in  their 
wishes  to  found  a  commonwealth  where  civil  and 
religious  freedom  could  be  enjoyed. 

To  no  one  of  these  countries  was  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church  in  America,  in  its  origin  and  its  rapid 
growth,  so  largely  indebted  as  to  the  north  of  Ire- 

147 


148  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

land.  A  large  proportion  of  those  who  composed 
its  membership,  and  of  those  who  occupied  its  pul- 
pits, were  previously  connected  with  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church  of  Ireland.  To  form  a  just  estimate 
of  their  character,  their  spirit  and  their  influence 
— a  work  which  it  is  here  proposed  to  do — it  will 
be  requisite  to  pass  in  review  the  prominent  cir- 
cumstances and  features  in  the  history  of  the  Irish 
Church. 

It  would  appear  from  the  most  ancient  records 
that  Ireland  was  visited  with  the  gospel  as  early 
as  the  second  century.  Nor  was  it  planted  there 
by  the  agents  of  the  Romish  Church,  as  is  com- 
monly claimed.  On  the  contrary,  the  evidence  is 
abundant  and  clear  that  the  Irish  people  for  ages 
resisted  all  the  encroachments  of  the  papacy.  The 
forms  of  Christianity  that  prevailed  in  Ireland  were 
those  of  the  Eastern  churches,  and  were  introduced, 
it  is  probable,  by  Greek,  and  not  Roman,  mission- 
aries. "  I  strongly  suspect,"  says  Dr.  O'Hallo- 
ran,  a  Roman  Catholic  historian  of  high  author- 
ity, "that  by  Asiatic  or  African  missionaries,  or, 
through  them,  by  Spanish  ones,  were  our  ances- 
tors instructed  in  Christianity,  because  they  rig- 
idly adhered  to  their  customs  as  to  the  tonsure 
and  the  time  of  Easter.  Certain  it  is  that  Pat- 
rick found  a  hierarchy  established  in  Ireland"  So 
much  for  the  claim  that  St.  Patrick  was  the  first 
gospel  missionary  in  Ireland. 

Archbishop  Usher  has  adduced  convincing  evi- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.       149 

dence  that  until  the  twelfth  century,  when  popery- 
was  first  introduced,  the  bishops  and  clergy  of  the 
Irish  Church  were  married  men  ;  that  the  com- 
munion service  of  Rome  was  not  in  its  liturgy,  and 
that  the  Lord's  Supper  was  received  by  it  in  both 
kinds ;  that  auricular  confession  and  the  doctrine 
of  transubstantiation  were  unknown  to  it;  that 
image-worship  was  not  permitted  ;  that  it  neither 
prayed  to  dead  men  nor  for  them,  and  had  no 
fixed  service  for  the  dead ;  and  that  it  refused 
to  pay  tithes  to  the  Romish  see. 

History  assigns  the  first  place  among  the  early 
propagators  of  a  pure  faith,  in  the  ancient  Irish 
Church,  to  Columba,  who  died  at  Iona,  Scotland, 
in  597,  a  distinguished  missionary  of  the  gospel 
in  Scotland  and  England  as  well  as  in  his  own 
country.  The  people  were  simple  in  their  mode 
of  life  and  evangelical  in  their  religious  faith  and 
methods  of  worship.  For  nearly  seven  hundred 
years  more,  and  until  the  twelfth  century,  in  the 
reign  of  Henry  II.,  the  Irish  Church  remained 
independent.*  It  was  by  the  latter  sovereign,  and 
by  the  aid  of  a  council  of  clergy  assembled  at 
Cashel  in  1172,  that  the  Church  of  Ireland  was 
brought  into  obedience  to  the  Roman  pontiff — a 
disastrous  day  for  that  country,  followed  by  a  series 
of  calamities  rendered  only  the  more  painful   by 

*  "  Celtic  Ireland  was  neither  papal  nor  inclined  to  submit 
to  the  papacy  till  Henry  II.  riveted  the  Roman  yoke  upon 
it."— Fronde,  vol.  i.,  p.  30. 


150  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

contrast  with  its  prosperous  career  from  the  days 
of  St.  Patrick  to  the  council  of  Cashel.  Most  of 
its  members  continued  to  practice  the  rites  of  their 
ancient  religion,  and  to  resist  as  best  they  could  the 
bondage  of  Rome.  But  the  latter,  with  the  help 
of  English  money  and  English  arms,  finally  suc- 
ceeded in  making  Ireland  a  chief  stronghold  of 
"  the  man  of  sin,"  and  for  three  centuries  Rome  there 
maintained  an  almost  undisputed  dominion.  Large 
numbers  of  monasteries  were  erected  and  liberally 
endowed,  and  nothing  was  left  undone  that  power 
and  money  could  effect,  to  obliterate  the  cherished 
associations  of  the  people  for  their  more  simple 
faith  and  worship,  and  to  reconcile  them  to  the  spir- 
itual supremacy  of  the  pope.  This  state  of  things 
continued  to  the  period  when  Henry  VIII.,  with 
the  consent  of  its  nobles,  was  proclaimed  "king 
of  Ireland  and  supreme  head  of  the   Church" 

Most  deplorable  was  the  condition  of  the  entire 
country  at  this  time.  It  is  described  by  Fronde 
"  as  shared  out  between  sixty  Irish  chiefs  of  the 
old  blood  and  thirty  great  captains  of  the  English 
noble  folk,  who  lived  by  the  sword  and  obeyed  no 
temporal  power,  but  only  himself  that  was  strong. 
The  cattle  and  human  beings  lived  herded  to- 
gether, even  in  the  latter  half  of  the  sixteenth 
century."  Without  education  and  but  partially 
civilized,  enslaved  by  error  and  debased  by  super- 
stition, the  dupes  of  designing  monks  and  the 
slaves  of  bigoted  priests,  the  people  were  in  the 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.        151 

grossest  ignorance  and  irreligion.  Even  the  heads 
of  clans  and  the  feudal  lords  were  raised  but  little, 
if  at  all,  above  the  common  level  of  the  community. 
They  were  turbulent,  irreligious,  vicious,  and  con- 
stantly engaged  in  scenes  of  violence  or  dishonor- 
able conspiracies.  If  it  suited  their  purposes,  or  in 
any  way  was  conducive  to  their  personal  ambitions, 
they  did  not  hesitate  to  destroy  the  temples  of  Re- 
ligion, or  to  gratify  their  revenge  upon  those  who 
ministered  at  her  altars.  The  unsettled  and  dis- 
tracted state  of  the  island  was,  of  course,  very 
unfavorable  to  anything  like  a  reformation  in 
religion. 

Such  was  the  social  and  religious  condition  of  the 
people  when  Henry  VIII.  sent  his  commissioners 
to  Ireland  to  proclaim  the  royal  supremacy  and 
demand  the  subjection  of  the  Irish  prelates  to  his 
own  ecclesiastical  control.  In  this  he  was  not  in- 
fluenced by  any  love  that  he  cherished  for  the 
doctrines  of  the  Reformation,  but  by  a  desire  to 
overthrow  the  power  of  the  pope.  Hence  but 
little  was  accomplished  for  Protestantism  besides 
the  establishment  of  English  supremacy  and  the 
suppression  of  some  of  the  numerous  monasteries. 
The  chief  agent  employed  by  the  king  was  an 
Augustinian  monk,  George  Browne,  on  whom  the 
king,  in  1535,  had  conferred  the  title  of  archbish- 
op of  Dublin.  His  selection  for  this  delicate  and 
important  work  was  due  to  his  previous  opposition  to 
some  of  the  doctrinal  errors  of  the  Romish  Church 


152  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

while  provincial  of  his  order  in  England.  His 
zeal  against  popery  seems  to  have  been  fervent  and 
sincere.  Charged  with  the  royal  commission,  he 
repaired  at  once  to  Dublin,  where,  in  a  conference 
with  the  principal  nobility  and  clergy,  and  in 
obedience  to  his  royal  instructions,  he  demanded 
that  the  Roman  Catholic  prelates  should  acknow- 
ledge the  king's  supremacy.  Cromer,  archbishop 
of  Armagh,  and  his  suffragan  clergy,  met  this 
demand  with  prompt  and  spirited  opposition. 
Thus  matters  remained  for  nearly  a  year,  until 
the  calling  of  a  Parliament  in  1537.  In  the  mean 
time,  the  vigorous  means  adopted  by  the  clergy  to 
excite  the  nobility  to  resist  the  attempted  usurpa- 
tion were  so  far  successful  that  the  question  was 
with  great  difficulty  carried  in  the  Irish  Parlia- 
ment. The  laws  necessary  for  the  required  altera- 
tion of  the  national  faith  were,  however,  passed. 
Among  these  were  enactments  declaring  the  king 
supreme  head  of  the  Church ;  renouncing  the 
authority  of  the  pope  and  declaring  his  supporters 
guilty  of  high  treason;  forbidding  all  appeals  to 
Rome,  together  with  the  payment  of  dues  and  the 
purchasing  of  dispensations;  also,  several  of  the 
religious  houses  were  dissolved  and  their  revenues 
vested  in  the  Crown. 

The  exercise  of  this  authority  had  but  little  in- 
fluence on  the  advancement  of  the  great  truths  of 
the  Reformation.  While  public  opposition  was 
silenced    wherever    British    power   prevailed,    the 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.       153 

attachment  of  the  Romish  clergy  to  their  Church 
continued  as  strong  as  ever.  Acting  under  injunc- 
tions from  Rome,  they  steadfastly  resisted  the 
claims  of  the  king,  and  the  archbishop  declared 
those  accursed  who  should  acknowledge  any  power 
superior  to  that  of  the  pope.  The  change  was 
merely  nominal,  and  the  order  sent  from  England 
to  the  archbishop  of  Dublin,  to  purge  the  churches 
of  his  province  of  their  images,  relics  and  super- 
stitious rites,  was  successfully  evaded.  As  new 
bishops  were  elevated  to  the  vacant  sees  they  were 
prompt  to  promise  obedience  to  the  king,  but  were 
powerless  to  carry  out  the  views  of  the  new  gov- 
ernment. The  people  and  the  inferior  clergy  con- 
tinued ignorant  and  bigoted  in  their  religion,  and 
were  indignant  at  the  orders  of  Lord  Cromwell, 
whom  they  called,  in  derision,  "the  blacksmith's 
son." 

The  accession  of  Edward  VI.,  while  it  was 
favorable  for  the  advancement  of  the  reform  in 
England,  accomplished  very  little  for  Ireland.  In 
the  former  it  was  diligently  fostered,  and,  meeting 
with  only  slight  opposition,  made  rapid  progress. 
A  book  of  homilies  was  composed  for  the  use  of 
the  clergy,  English  Bibles  were  placed  in  every 
parish  church,  the  mass  was  changed  for  the  com- 
munion in  both  elements,  tables  were  substituted 
for  altars,  divine  worship  was  conducted  in  Eng- 
lish, and  a  book  of  common  prayer  compiled.  But 
a  single  one  of  these  various  methods  of  promot- 


154  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

ing  the  Reformation  was  adopted  in  Ireland,  and 
this  was  accompanied  by  an  inexcusable  artifice, 
designed  to  impose  upon  the  ignorance  of  the 
clergy  and  people.  A  proclamation  was  issued  in 
1551,  requiring  the  English  common  prayer-book 
to  be  used  throughout  the  kingdom  in  the  cele- 
bration of  divine  worship.  Anticipating  resist- 
ance to  the  order  on  the  part  of  the  Romish  clergy, 
the  council  represented  the  new  liturgy  as  "  a  mere 
translation  of  the  Romish  service,"  thus  attempt- 
ing to  conceal  its  real  character.  It  was  in  vain 
that  the  priestscwere  commanded  to  use  it.  Dow- 
dal,  the  primate,  contended  earnestly  against  the 
proposed  innovation;  the  lord- deputy  was  firm, 
and  on  Easter-day  the  new  liturgy  was  read  in 
the  cathedral  of  Christ  church,  Dublin,  in  the 
presence  of  the  civil  and  ecclesiastical  authorities. 
Little  advantage,  however,  resulted  to  the  truth 
from  this  change  in  public  worship  brought  about 
by  civil  power.  Only  four  of  the  bishops  adopt- 
ed the  liturgy,  and  their  example  had  but  slight 
influence  upon  their  own  suffragans.  Even  though 
more  conciliatory  measures  were  subsequently  em- 
ployed, they  were  not  successful.  The  primate 
refusing  to  yield,  harsher  methods  were  at  last 
brought  into  requisition.  In  order  to  mortify 
him  and  his  partisans,  the  primacy  of  Ireland 
was  transferred  from  Armagh  to  Dublin.  This 
deprived  the  popish  party  of  its  most  influential 
leader,  but  the  want  of  Reformed  preachers,  even 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH        155 

in  the  metropolis,  prevented  the  Reformation 
from  making  any  marked  progress. 

Several  of  the  Irish  sees,  as  well  as  the  pri- 
macy, becoming  vacant,  efforts  were  made  in  Eng- 
land to  find  proper  persons  to  fill  these  important 
places.  Richard  Turner,  of  Canterbury,  on  the 
recommendation  of  Archbishop  Cranmer,  was  se- 
lected by  the  king  for  archbishop  of  Armagh.  He, 
however,  declined  to  accept  the  honorable  situation, 
giving  as  the  chief  reason  that  his  ignorance  of  the 
Irish  language,  which  he  was  not  disposed  to  learn, 
would  forbid  him  access  to  the  minds  of  the  na- 
tive population  and  compel  him  to  preach  "to 
the  walls  and  stalls."  Nor  could  Cranmer  over- 
come his  reluctance  to  accept  the  office.  If  it  was 
so  difficult  to  fill  an  archbishopric,  it  was  more 
hopeless  to  provide  gospel-preachers  for  humbler 
stations. 

Two  of  the  vacant  sees  were  at  length  filled  by 
men  in  every  way  qualified  for  the  office,  and  who 
were  willing  to  make  the  needed  sacrifices  for  the 
gospel's  sake.  These  were  Hugh  Goodacre  and 
John  Bale.  The  first  was  raised  to  the  see  of  Ar- 
magh, but  within  three  months  was  poisoned  at 
Dublin,  "  by  procurement  of  certain  priests  of  his 
diocese,  for  preaching  God's  verity  and  rebuking 
their  common  vices."  Of  Bale,  who  occupied  the 
see  of  Ossory,  we  have  honorable  testimony.  He 
is  said  to  have  been  learned  and  pious  as  a  re- 
former, energetic  and  courageous   as  a  champion 


156  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

of  the  truth.  For  his  honest  boldness  in  expos- 
ing the  errors  of  popery  he  had  been  twice  impris- 
oned in  England  by  the  ruling  clergy.  Released 
by  Lord  Cromwell,  he  fled  to  the  Continent  upon 
the  death  of  his  patron,  where  for  eight  years  he 
enjoyed  opportunities  of  converse  and  intimate 
friendship  with  Luther,  Calvin  and  other  distin- 
guished Reformers. 

His  firmness  was  put  to  the  trial  on  the  occa- 
sion of  his  consecration  to  his  office.  The  dean 
of  the  cathedral  insisted  upon  using  the  popish 
form,  and  even  Goodacre,  the  primate-elect,  was 
disposed  to  acquiesce  for  the  sake  of  peace,  as  were 
also  the  other  assembled  prelates.  But  Bale  was 
decided  in  his  opposition,  and  would  not  consent 
to  adopt  the  ritual  of  so  corrupt  a  Church,  and 
his  firmness  secured  the  adoption  of  the  Reformed 
ritual.  The  apprehended  tumult  did  not  follow, 
and  the  people  were  permitted  for  the  first  time 
to  make  the  acquaintance  of  a  man  whose  consist- 
ent course  won  respect  for  the  doctrines  which 
he  preached.  His  views  and  his  conduct  on  this 
memorable  occasion  had  doubtless  been  somewhat 
shaped  by  his  long  and  familiar  intercourse  with 
the  Genevan  Reformers.  His  zeal  was  untiring  and 
his  labors  in  his  diocese  abundant.  He  abolished 
the  service  of  the  mass  and  sought  to  lead  the 
clergy  and  the  people  to  a  knowledge  of  the  true 
religion. 

The  death  of  Edward  VI.  and  the  accession  of 


HISTORY  OF   THE   IRISH  CHURCH.        157 

Queen  Mary  drove  him  from  Ireland.  Five  of 
his  servants  were  murdered  before  the  doors  of 
his  residence,  and  it  was  only  from  the  fact  that 
a  large  escort  of  his  affectionate  people  gathered 
around  him  and  protected  him  from  violence  that 
he  escaped  with  his  life  from  the  hands  of  his 
persecutors.  After  many  perils  he  reached  the 
Continent;  but  when  he  returned  to  England  on 
the  accession  of  Elizabeth,  nothing  could  induce 
him  to  accept  a  bishopric.  His  sympathies  were 
on  the  side  of  the  nonconformists. 

Under  Mary  the  Roman  Catholic  religion  was 
formally  restored  by  Parliament,  and  the  pope's 
supremacy  acknowledged.  Eight  prelates  who  had 
professed  the  Reformed  doctrines  returned  at  once 
to  the  Church  of  Rome.  Others  were  prevented 
from  a  similar  apostasy  for  the  reason  that  they 
were  married.  The  people  speedily  relapsed  into 
their  former  condition,  and  scarce  a  trace  of  the 
Reformation  could  be  seen  in  Ireland. 

Indeed,  the  general  adherence  of  the  people  to 
the  Romish  faith  made  Ireland  a  place  of  shelter 
for  some  of  the  persecuted  Protestants  of  England. 
The  bigotry  of  the  queen  was  not  directed  against 
them,  owing  to  their  limited  numbers,  and  for  the 
same  reason  they  did  not  excite  the  suspicion  of 
the  papal  clergy.  Several  small  colonies  of  Eng- 
lish Protestants,  accompanied  by  their  ministers, 
consequently  found  an  asylum  for  years  on  Irish 
soil;  and  when  at  length  Dean  Cole,  in  1558,  was 


158  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

dispatched  by  the  queen  with  a  persecuting  corn- 
mission  to  punish  these  Protestants,  the  brief  re- 
spite secured  through  the  substitution  of  a  pack  of 
cards  in  place  of  his  commission  by  a  friend  of  the 
persecuted  people  deferred  all  hostile  measures 
until  the  accession  of  Elizabeth.  The  dean,  much 
to  his  surprise  and  dismay,  on  presenting  to  the 
council  of  Dublin  the  box  which  was  supposed  to 
contain  his  commission,  that  it  might  be  formally 
read,  found  in  place  of  it  only  a  pack  of  cards 
with  the  knave  of  clubs  faced  upward.  Evidently 
not  displeased  at  being  thus  relieved  from  the  dis- 
charge of  his  invidious  office,  he  humorously  re- 
plied, "  Let  us  have  a  new  commission,  and  we  will 
shuffle  the  cards  in  the  mean  time.7'  Another  com- 
mission was  procured,  but  unfavorable  winds  pre- 
vented the  sailing  of  the  vessel  from  England 
until  after  the  death  of  the  queen,  and  thus  God 
preserved  the  Protestants. 

The  reign  of  Elizabeth  was  favorable  to  the 
spread  of  the  truth  in  Ireland,  but  owing  to  the 
distracted  state  of  the  kingdom  its  beneficial  effects 
were  not  apparent  at  once.  Many  of  the  ecclesi- 
astical arrangements  adopted  by  Bloody  Mary  were 
reversed,  and  an  order  was  sent  to  the  dean  of 
Christ's  church,  Dublin,  to  remove  from  the  walls 
of  his  cathedral  all  relics,  images,  pictures,  and 
other  memorials  of  Romanism,  and  to  substitute 
in  their  place  appropriate  texts  of  Scripture.  The 
credulous  multitude  were  more  readily  reconciled 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.         159 

to  this  change  owing  to  the  exposure  of  a  gross 
imposition  that  had  long  been  practiced  by  the 
priests  of  the  cathedral — that  of  making  an  image 
of  our  Saviour  sweat  drops  of  blood  by  means 
of  a  sponge  saturated  with  blood  concealed  in  the 
head  of  the  image.  Soon  after  this  change  was 
made,  Heath,  archbishop  of  York,  sent  over  two 
large  English  Bibles  to  be  fixed  in  the  centre  of 
the  choirs  of  the  cathedral,  to  be  read  not  only  in 
divine  service,  but  to  be  accessible  at  all  times  to 
the  people.  They  came  in  crowds  to  hear  the 
word  of  God  read,  and  eagerly  availed  themselves 
of  the  opportunity  to  peruse  it  after  the  congrega- 
tions were  dismissed.  In  this  way  knowledge  was 
increased,  and  a  large  demand  for  Bibles  sprung 
up.  One  bookseller,  in  less  than  two  years,  dis- 
posed of  more  than  seven  thousand  copies,  to  which 
the  progress  of  the  Reformation  in  Ireland  was 
largely  due. 

Much  less,  however,  was  accomplished  than 
might  have  been  had  the  government  adopted  a 
wiser  policy.  In  removing  the  sanction  of  the 
law  from  the  Romish  faith,  as  was  done  by  the 
Parliament  of  1560,  and  substituting  the  prayer- 
book  for  the  missal,  provision  should  have  been 
made  for  that  large  class  of  persons  who  were  igno- 
rant of  the  English  language.  The  first  necessity 
was  to  have  divine  service  conducted  in  a  language 
understood  by  the  worshipers.  In  the  place,  how- 
ever, of  providing  for  the  translation  of  the  prayer- 


160  SCOTCH  AND  IRTSH  SEEDS. 

book  into  Irish,  the  absurd  order  was  given  that 
the  public  service  should  be  conducted  in  Latin, 
which  neither  English  nor  Irish  understood.  Sure- 
ly,  prudent  and  wise  rulers  who  had  the  welfare 
of  the  community  at  heart,  and  who  wished  to  pro- 
mote the  truth,  would  not  have  kept  the  masses  in 
ignorance  and  cut  them  off  from  the  benefits  of 
public  worship.  Nor  was  it  of  much  service  to 
Protestantism  that  of  the  nineteen  prelates  who 
had  conformed  to  popery  under  Queen  Mary  only 
two  adhered  to  their  Romish  profession.  All  the 
others  took  the  oath  of  supremacy  in  order  to  re- 
tain their  places.  But  their  adherence  to  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Reformation  was  merely  nominal,  and 
their  conformity  in  worship  was  but  to  escape  the 
penalties  that  were  inflicted  for  neglecting  to  attend 
the  Established  Church.  And  so  indifferent  were 
the  civil  authorities  to  the  spiritual  condition  of 
the  native  population  that  even  the  prominent  sees, 
including  the  primacy,  were  left  vacant  for  years, 
and  those  who  controlled  the  more  remote  offices 
cultivated  intimacy  with  the  pope  rather  than  with 
the  English  Church.  So  that,  between  shameful 
neglect  on  the  one  hand  and  harsh  and  violent 
measures  to  secure  external  conformity  on  the  part 
of  a  prejudiced  and  ignorant  people  on  the  other, 
the  Irish  Establishment  only  alienated  those  whose 
confidence  and  affection  it  should  have  endeavored 
to  win.  Even  if  Elizabeth  and  her  ministers  had 
had  the  religious  welfare  of  Ireland  at  heart — which 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.        161 

they  did  not  have — their  time  was  almost  exclu- 
sively occupied  with  measures  of  defence  against 
Irish  chiefs  instigated  to  rebellion  by  the  Holy  See. 
As  fear  and  interest  were  the  chief  agents  in  effect- 
ing the  changes  in  favor  of  Protestantism,  no  sooner 
did  the  queen's  political  power  begin  to  be  menaced 
by  Spain  than  the  priests  became  bold  and  active 
in  their  opposition,  and  in  every  possible  manner 
fomented  the  discord  which  had  always  existed 
between  the  natives  and  the  English.  A  few  zeal- 
ous and  benevolent  individuals  did  what  they  could 
to  remedy  this  deplorable  condition  of  things.  A 
translation  of  the  New  Testament  was  partly  com- 
pleted and  the  translation  of  the  Liturgy  in  the 
Irish  tongue  commenced,  but  neither  was  ren- 
dered available  during  Elizabeth's  reign.  The 
greatest  of  all  hindrances  to  the  Reformation  was 
the  want  of  learned  and  pious  ministers,  since  noth- 
ing short  of  sound  scriptural  teaching  could  over- 
come the  deep-rooted  errors  and  superstitions  of 
more  than  three  hundred  years. 

We  have  a  description  of  the  deplorable  state  of 
the  Irish  Church  in  1576  by  Sir  Henry  Sidney  in 
a  letter  sent  to  Queen  Elizabeth  on  the  subject  of 
an  evangelical  ministry,  wherein  he  proposes  that 
she  shall  adopt  the  means  which  he  suggests  for 
the  removal  of  this  great  evil.  In  a  diocese  of 
two  hundred  and  twenty-four  parish  churches, 
only  eighteen  of  the  curates  were  found  able  to 
speak  English  ;  "  the  rest  are  Irish  priests,  or  rather 
11 


162  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

Irish  rogues,  having  very  little  Latin,  and  less 
learning  and  civility,  and  were  wont  to  live  upon 
the  gain  of  masses,  dirges,  shriving,  and  such-like 
trumpery."  Nearly  all  the  parish  churches  were 
in  a  ruinous  condition,  and  many  of  them  were 
necessarily  abandoned.  Earnest  and  pressing  were 
Sir  Henry's  recommendations  to  have  these  sad 
deficiencies  supplied;  especially  did  he  insist  upon 
the  necessity  of  repairing  the  neglected  churches 
and  supplying  the  parishes  with  Reformed  minis- 
ters. But  though  coming  from  so  influential  a 
quarter,  no  attention  was  given  to  these  recom- 
mendations, and  the  religious  condition  of  Ireland 
was  altogether  neglected.  How  could  the  gospel 
be  expected  to  prevail  against  prejudice  and  igno- 
rance without  the  presence  of  ministers  to  make 
known  its  doctrines  and  illustrate  the  excellency 
of  its  principles? 

At  a  subsequent  date,  1590,  a  measure  of  much 
importance  to  Ireland  was  carried  into  effect. 
This  was  the  establishment  of  the  University  of 
Dublin.  Its  chief  object  was  to  educate  ministers 
for  the  national  Church,  the  want  of  which,  as  we 
have  seen,  had  been  the  main  obstacle  in  the  advance 
of  the  Reformed  doctrines.  It  was  founded  on 
very  liberal  principles.  Those  questions  which 
had  divided  the  Church  in  England  into  con- 
formists and  nonconformists  were  suffered  to  rest 
in  Ireland,  and  whatever  preacher  of  the  gospel 
made  his    appearance  in  the  latter    kingdom  was 


HISTORY  OF  THE   IRISH  CHURCH.       163 

gladly  received  and  left  unmolested  in  his  work. 
He  might  verge  almost  to  Romanism  or  he  might 
be  a  zealous  Puritan,  and  yet  be  undisturbed  by 
any  authoritative  imposition  of  terms  of  conform- 
ity. In  the  early  history  of  the  University  of 
Dublin  this  liberal  spirit  was  freely  displayed. 
Its  first  elected  fellows  were  two  Scotch  Presby- 
terians, one  of  them  tutor  to  the  celebrated  Usher. 
Its  first  two  regular  and  official  provosts,  Travers 
and  Alvey,  were  also  nonconformists.  The  latter, 
persecuted  in  England  by  Whitgift  for  his  noncon- 
formity, found  refuge  and  freedom  and  honor  in 
Ireland.  The  presence  of  both  men  was  wel- 
comed, and  their  services  were  in  demand  and 
were  valuable  to  the  country  in  the  honored 
positions  they  occupied.  There  was  truly  great 
need  in  that  country  of  educated  men,  and  par- 
ticularly of  a  pious  clergy  who  would  care  for  the 
spiritual  welfare  of  the  people.  Even  so  late  as  1596 
the  poet  Spenser,  describing  the  people  of  Ire- 
land, says  :  "  Not  one  amongst  an  hundred  knoweth 
any  ground  of  religion  or  any  article  of  his  faith, 
but  can,  perhaps,  say  his  Paternoster  or  his  Ave 
Maria  without  any  knowledge  of  what  one  word 
thereof  meaneth."  The  common  clergymen  he 
represents  as  leading  disorderly  lives  and  guilty 
of  the  grossest  vices,  while  the  bishops  in  the  re- 
moter dioceses  retain  the  benefices  in  their  own 
possession  "  and  set  their  own  servants  to  take 
up  their  tythes  and  fruits." 


164  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

This  was  the  deplorable  condition  of  the  Irish 
Church  in  the  closing  years  of  Elizabeth's  reign 
and  after  seventy  years  had  passed  since  Protestant- 
ism was  introduced  into  the  kingdom.  For  the 
very  limited  progress  which  the  Reformation  had 
made  two  causes  are  apparent — the  first,  the 
formidable  rebellions  which  almost  constantly 
agitated  the  kingdom,  and  which  produced  a  state 
of  things  most  unfavorable  to  the  spread  of  the 
truth ;  the  second,  the  inadequate  means  employed 
for  its  propagation,  the  defence  of  the  kingdom 
occupying  the  almost  exclusive  attention  of  the 
government.  But  peace  was  at  length  restored 
through  the  military  triumphs  of  the  English 
forces,  the  authority  of  the  laws  was  extended 
over  the  entire  island,  and  Elizabeth  left  to  her 
successor  the  more  pleasing  duty  of  promoting 
peace  and  social  order  among  the  inhabitants 
and  diffusing  throughout  the  community  the 
blessings  of  education  and  of  true  religion. 

A  better  era  dawned  upon  the  Protestant  Church 
of  Ireland  when  James  I.  ascended  the  throne, 
April  5,  1603.  His  claims  were  recognized  by  all 
parties,  and  the  country  enjoyed  great  tranquillity. 
The  victories  in  the  former  reign  had  prepared  the 
way  for  the  adoption  of  a  more  peaceful,  humane 
and  civilizing  policy,  which  the  king's  love  of 
peace  and  his  attachment  to  religion  disposed 
him  to  take  advantage  of  and  improve  to  the 
utmost.     He  accordingly  adopted   the  wisest  and 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.       165 

most  conciliatory  measures  toward  the  natives. 
He  proclaimed  a  general  pardon  to  all  who  had 
been  concerned  in  the  late  rebellions,  and  admit- 
ted the  natives  for  the  first  time  to  the  privileges 
of  subjects.  The  estates  of  the  nobility,  held  on 
precarious  titles,  were  now  secured  to  them  by  the 
formalities  of  law.  Courts  were  renewed  in  the 
southern  provinces  and  established  for  the  first 
time  in  the  north,  and  the  administration  of  jus- 
tice secured  to  all  classes. 

These  prudent  measures  to  promote  civil  order 
met  the  general  approval  of  the  people.  The  only 
exceptions  were  some  of  the  northern  nobles,  who, 
instigated  by  the  Romish  clergy,  entered  into  con- 
spiracies against  the  king;  and  being  subdued,  their 
lands  were  forfeited  to  the  Crown.  The  most  of 
this  territory  James  resolved  to  plant  with  English 
and  Scottish  colonies.  In  this  way  the  lands 
would  be  rendered  more  valuable  by  skillful  culti- 
vation, peace  and  prosperity  would  be  promoted  and 
the  Reformed  faith  more  speedily  disseminated.  The 
province  of  Ulster,  where  this  scheme  of  coloniza- 
tion was  first  tried,  had  been  reduced  to  a  truly 
wretched  condition.  It  had  been  the  chief  seat  of 
the  rebellions,  and  the  inhabitants  were  rendered 
destitute  and  the  country  desolate  by  the  ravages 
of  war.  Except  a  few  fortified  cities,  its  towns  and 
villages  had  been  leveled  to  the  ground;  scarcely 
a  building  remained  in  the  country  except  the 
native  huts,  which  were  too  poor  to  be  plundered  ; 


166  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

and  the  remnant  of  the  inhabitants  suffered  the 
horrors  of  both  pestilence  and  famine.  The  grain 
and  the  cattle,  in  which  the  wealth  of  the  people 
consisted,  had  been  destroyed  by  the  rebels,  so  that 
the  few  remaining  proprietors  were  without  even 
the  means  to  cultivate  their  lands.  And  the  moral 
and  religious  state  of  the  province  was  still  worse. 
In  some  parts  religious  worship  had  entirely  dis- 
appeared, and  in  most  others,  in  consequence  of  the 
indolence  or  the  vices  of  the  clergy,  or  the  ruinous 
condition  of  the  church -edifices,  "  divine  service 
had  not  for  years  together  been  used  in  any  parish 
church,  except  in  some  city  or  principal  towns." 
In  1610  the  colonization  scheme  began  to  be 
generally  carried  into  effect,  especially  in  Ulster. 
Sir  Arthur  Chichester,  lord-deputy  of  the  king- 
dom, on  whom  the  king  had  conferred  a  large 
estate,  was  the  chief  agent.  His  first  act  was  to 
have  a  careful  survey  made  of  the  forfeited  lands, 
and  then  to  draw  up  a  plan  for  their  settlement. 
They  were  allotted  to  three  classes,  under  certain 
and  fixed  regulations  of  occupancy.  First  were 
voluntary  emigrants  from  England  and  Scotland, 
then  servants  of  the  Crown,  consisting  of  civil 
and  military  officers,  and  finally  natives,  whom  it 
was  hoped  this  liberality  would  make  orderly  and 
loyal  subjects.  The  colonists  were  bound  to  erect 
substantial  dwellings,  to  clear  the  lands  and  culti- 
vate them ;  and  to  do  this  they  were  obliged  to 
procure   and    induce  to  settle  on    their  estates    a 


HISTORY  OF  THE   IRISH  CHURCH.        167 

number  of  families  proportional  to  the  extent  of 
their  possessions.  Especial  care  was  taken  by  the 
king  for  the  support  of  the  Church.  He  restored 
to  the  sees  all  their  ecclesiastical  possessions, 
parochial  churches  were  repaired,  glebes  allotted 
to  ministers,  and  a  free  school  was  endowed  in 
the  principal  town  of  each  diocese. 

Owing  to  the  nearness  of  Scotland  to  Ulster,  as 
well  as  to  the  enterprise  of  the  Scotch,  the  larger 
part  of  the  colonists  came  from  that  kingdom.  At 
first  they  occupied  the  northern  part  of  the  prov- 
ince, but  subsequently  spread  themselves  over  the 
remoter  districts.  The  southern  and  western  parts 
were  settled  chiefly  by  emigrants  from  England. 
Londoners  gave  its  name  to  Londonderry.  Other 
cities  bore  titles  indicating  the  preponderance  of 
the  Scotch  element.  By  means  of  this  scheme 
the  almost  deserted  cities  were  again  peopled  with 
inhabitants;  towns  were  built  and  manufactures 
and  trade  revived ;  the  lands  were  cleared  of 
woods  and  brought  under  cultivation  ;  farmhouses 
and  homesteads  took  the  place  of  robbers'  castles, 
wattled  huts  and  ruined  cabins ;  and  everywhere 
the  industry  and  the  peaceable  character  of  the  new 
occupants  were  apparent.  Religion  in  a  good  de- 
gree also  flourished.  The  sees  were  filled  with  Prot- 
estant prelates,  and  a  convocation  of  the  clergy  was 
summoned  in  1615.  Its  principal  work  was  to  draw 
up  a  Confession  of  Faith  for  the  Irish  Church.  It 
was  at  first  proposed  to  adopt  the  Tl  :rty-nine  Articles 


168  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

of  the  sister- Church  of  England,  but  the  majority 
decided  to  have  a  new  confession  of  their  own. 
Dr.  James  Usher,  already  distinguished  for  his 
theological  learning,  and  as  professor  of  divinity 
in  the  College  of  Dublin,  was  entrusted  with  this 
duty.  This  he  discharged  to  the  entire  satisfac- 
tion of  all  the  parties  concerned,  and  the  Confes- 
sion was  ratified  by  the  king  in  council,  and  also 
by  his  deputy  in  Dublin. 

The  difference  in  the  religious  sentiments  of 
England  and  Ireland  appears  very  clearly  in  this 
important  document.  In  the  former  a  rigid  con- 
formity was  enforced,  the  hierarchy  refusing  to 
consult  the  scruples  of  the  Puritans.  Instead 
of  seeking  by  some  comprehensive  plan  to  retain 
within  the  Church  the  learning  and  piety  of  the 
nonconforming  clergy,  new  tests  were  devised  to 
detect  them  and  to  punish  them  or  compel  their 
removal  from  the  kingdom.  But  in  Ireland  a  dif- 
ferent and  a  wiser  policy  was  pursued.  Many  of 
the  exiled  clergymen  of  Scotland,  who  had  ac- 
companied their  countrymen  to  Ulster,  had  been 
promoted  to  high  offices  in  the  Church  and  were 
universally  esteemed,  and  the  confession  of  faith 
now  adopted  indicated  the  presence  and  influence 
of  the  Scotch  and  nonconformist  element  in  the 
Irish  Church.  It  was  an  honest  and  praiseworthy 
effort  to  compromise  the  differences  between  the 
High  Church  clergy  and  the  nonconformists.  Cal- 
vinistic  in  doctrine,  it  retained,  almost  word  for 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.        169 

word,  the  Nine  Articles  of  Lambeth,  which  the 
English  Puritans  vainly  sought  to  have  adopted  at 
the  Hampton  Court  Conference  in  1604.  It  asserts 
strongly  the  morality  of  the  Sabbath  and  clearly 
implies  the  validity  of  ordination  by  presbyters, 
while  many  other  tenets  cherished  by  the  Puritan 
party  in  the  Church  are  set  forth  in  the  Confession. 
It  is  remarkable  also  in  that  it  claims  no  authority 
for  framing  or  enforcing  ecclesiastical  canons  or 
decreeing  rites  and  ceremonies,  and  makes  no  allu- 
sion to  the  mode  of  consecrating  the  higher  orders 
of  the  clergy.  Nor  was  this  an  unintentional  omis- 
sion. It  was  designed  to  sink  out  of  sight  that 
distinction  between  bishops  and  presbyters  which 
was  so  much  opposed  by  nonconformists.  To  pre- 
vent future  trouble,  the  convocation  decreed  that 
there  should  be  no  public  teaching  of  any  doctrine 
contrary  to  the  articles  thus  solemnly  agreed  upon. 
Such  was  the  comprehensive  foundation  upon 
which  the  Irish  Church  was  settled.  Its  terms  of 
communion  were  limited  only  in  respect  of  doc- 
trine. It  embraced  all  faithful  ministers  of  the 
gospel,  neither  compelling  them  to  submit  to  ob- 
jectionable ceremonies  nor  unchurching  them  for 
conscientious  scruples  respecting  the  government  or 
methods  of  worship  in  the  Church.  This  spirit 
of  mutual  forbearance  showed  an  honest  desire  to 
have  devoted  ministers  settle  and  exercise  their 
office  among  the  people,  however  they  might  dif- 
fer on  minor  questions  of  ecclesiastical  discipline. 


170  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

Nor  was  it  long  before  this  liberal  plan  bore  abun- 
dant and  precious  fruit.  Many  ministers  speedily 
removed  to  Ireland,  and  especially  to  Ulster,  in- 
duced by  the  security  they  were  promised  and  by 
the  great  need  of  their  services. 

Among  the  most  efficient  and  useful  of  these 
clergymen  were  the  Presbyterian  ministers  from 
Scotland.  Persecuted  at  home,  they  found  a  refuge 
and  a  welcome  across  the  Channel.  Of  these  pio- 
neer laborers  were — Edward  Brice,  who  for  oppos- 
ing Archbishop  Spotiswood's  attempt  to  introduce 
prelacy  into  Scotland  was  obliged  to  leave  the  king- 
dom ;  Robert  Cunningham,  of  whom  Livingstone 
said  that  "  he  was  the  one  man  who  most  resem- 
bled the  meekness  of  Jesus  Christ  in  all  his  car- 
riage that  I  ever  saw ;"  James  Glendenning,  under 
whose  preaching  the  great  revival  of  1625  began; 
the  celebrated  Robert  Blair,  formerly  professor  in 
the  College  of  Glasgow;  and  the  devoted  James 
Hamilton,  nephew  of  Lord  Claneboy.  Hubbard 
and  Ridge,  natives  of  England,  were  men  of  kin- 
dred spirit.  These  seven  brethren  possessed  the  true 
missionary  spirit,  and  began  at  once  the  work  of 
evangelizing  the  land,  and  with  extraordinary  suc- 
cess. The  spirit  in  which  they  were  received,  even 
by  the  highest  clergy  in  the  Church,  is  to  be  seen 
by  the  conduct  of  Bishop  Echlin,  who  was  him- 
self a  native  of  Scotland.  It  was  known  to  both 
Mr.  Blair's  patron,  Lord  Claneboy,  and  to  the  bish- 
op, that  Mr.  Blair  had  conscientious  scruples  re- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.        171 

specting  episcopal  ordination.  But  when  the  latter 
applied  for  ordination,  the  bishop  said  to  him,  "I 
hear  good  of  you,  and  will  impose  no  conditions 
on  you.  I  am  old  and  can  teach  you  ceremonies, 
and  you  can  teach  me  substances,  only  I  must  or- 
dain you,  to  comply  with  the  law.  Whatever  you 
account  of  episcopacy,  yet  I  know  you  account 
a  presbytery  to  have  divine  warrant.  Will  you 
not  receive  ordination  from  Mr.  Cunningham  and 
the  adjacent  brethren,  and  let  me  come  in  among 
them  in  no  other  relation  than  that  of  a  presby- 
ter?" "This,"  said  Blair,  "I  could  not  refuse, 
and  so  the  matter  was  performed." 

The  labors  of  these  faithful  and  pious  ministers 
were  remarkably  blessed.  A  revival  of  religion 
soon  occurred,  which,  in  some  of  its  features,  re- 
sembled the  great  work  of  grace  that  subsequently 
attended  the  ministry  of  Whitefield  and  Wesley  in 
England,  and  a  similar  awakening  in  this  country 
at  a  later  period.  It  began  in  connection  with  the 
preaching  of  Mr.  Glendenning,  the  weakest  and 
the  least  discreet  of  the  seven  pioneer  ministers, 
and  extended  over  nearly  the  entire  northern  part 
of  Ireland.  Almost  his  only  theme  in  preaching, 
says  Blair,  was  "  law,  wrath  and  the  terrors  of 
God  for  sin."  "And,  indeed,  for  this  only  was  he 
fitted,  for  hardly  could  he  preach  any  other  tiiiig. 
He  was  a  man  who  would  never  have  been  chosen 
by  a  wise  assembly  of  ministers,  nor  sent  to  begin 
a   reformation    in    this    land.      Yet   this  was    the 


172  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

Lord's  choice  to  begin  with  him  the  admirable 
work  of  God."  The  truths  which  he  proclaimed 
were  what  was  needed  "  to  awaken  the  consciences 
of  a  lewd  and  secure  people."  Wonderful  spirit- 
ual results  followed.  Multitudes  were  brought  to 
see  their  sinful  and  lost  condition,  and  to  cry  out 
in  their  anguish  of  soul  for  deliverance.  "I  have 
seen  them  myself,"  says  Blair,  "stricken  into  a 
swoon  by  the  word — yea,  a  dozen  in  one  day  carried 
out  of  doors  as  dead — so  marvelous  was  the  power 
of  God,  smiting  their  hearts  for  sin,  condemning 
and  killing."  Some  of  the  boldest  and  most  in- 
corrigible, who  had  attended  the  meetings  to  scoff 
and  oppose,  were  subdued  and  cried  out  for  mercy. 
The  same  authority  states  that  "multitudes  who 
sinned  and  still  gloried  in  it,  because  they  feared 
no  man,  became  patterns  in  society,  fearing  to  sin 
because  they  feared  God." 

The  revival  spread  rapidly  in  all  directions. 
Some  of  high  rank  and  standing  were  numbered 
among  the  converts.  The  ministers  made  the  most 
of  these  favorable  opportunities  to  sow  the  seed,  and 
reaped  an  abundant  harvest.  The  awakened  and 
inquiring  people  thronged  to  hear  them  preach,  and 
by  the  judicious  counsels  and  labors  of  the  clergy 
the  converts  were  instructed  and  established  in  the 
faith.  Monthly  meetings  were  appointed  at  con- 
venient points,  at  which  large  numbers  assembled. 
The  hearers  sometimes  carm  even  from  a  distance 
of  thirty  or  forty  miles. 


HISTORY   OF   THE  IRISH  CHURCH.        173 

Intelligence  of  the  remarkable  awakening  hav- 
ing reached  Scotland,  a  number  of  prudent  and 
faithful  ministers  came  over  to  the  help  of  the  ex- 
hausted laborers.  Among  these  was  Josias  Welsh, 
a  grandson  of  John  Knox,  formerly  professor  in 
the  University  of  Glasgow,  which  situation  he 
resigned  on  account  of  his  nonconformist  princi- 
p!es.  His  spirit  resembled  in  no  slight  degree 
that  of  the  illustrious  Scotch  Reformer,  Knox,  as 
the  testimony  of  Blair  shows:  "The  last  time  I 
was  in  Scotland  I  met  him;  and  finding  of  how 
zealous  a  spirit  he  was,  I  exhorted  him  to  hasten 
over  to  Ireland,  where  he  would  find  work  enough, 
and  I  hoped  success  too.  A  great  measure  of  that 
spirit  which  wrought  in  and  by  the  father"  and 
the  grandfather  "rested  on  the  son."  Acting  on 
Mr.  Blair's  advice,  he  came  to  Ireland  in  1626, 
and  took  charge  of  Mr.  Glendenning's  parish, 
which  had  become  vacant  by  the  latter's  departure 
to  visit  the  seven  churches  of  Asia.  Here  and 
at  Templepatrick  "  he  convinced  the  secure  and 
sweetly  comforted  those  that  were  dejected,  and 
had  many  seals  to  his  ministry." 

Other  clergymen  of  like  spirit  followed  Welsh. 
Of  these  were  Andrew  Stewart,  George  Dunbar, 
Henry  Colwort,  John  McClelland,  John  Semple, 
and  the  celebrated  John  Livingstone,  whose  name 
has  become  historic  from  his  connection  with  the 
kirk  of  Schotts.  These  additional  ministers  wire 
of  great  service  to  the  settled  pastors,  and  through 


174  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

them  the  revival  was  greatly  extended.  Most  of 
them  were  from  Scotland,  where  they  had  suffered 
from  prelatical  bigotry ;  and  finding  freedom  in 
their  land  of  exile,  they  labored  with  great  zeal 
and  success.  Livingstone  was  ordained  by  Bishop 
Knox,  and  with  an  indulgence  most  honorable  to 
that  distinguished  prelate.  With  letters  from  Lord 
Claneboy,  the  earl  of  Wigton  and  others,  he  re- 
paired to  the  bishop,  who  at  once  divined  the  object 
of  his  visit.  "He  told  me,"  writes  Livingstone, 
"that  he  knew  my  errand,  that  I  came  to  him  be- 
cause I  had  scruples  against  episcopacy  and  cere- 
monies, as  Welsh  and  some  others  had  done  before, 
and  that  he  thought  his  old  age  was  prolonged  ior 
little  other  purpose  but  to  do  such  offices ;  that  if 
I  scrupled  to  call  him  '  my  lord'  he  cared  not  much 
for  it;  all  he  would  desire  of  me,  because  they  got 
there  but  few  sermons,  was  that  I  would  preach 
at  Ramallen  the  first  Sabbath,  and  that  he  would 
send  for  Mr.  Cunningham  and  two  or  three  other 
neighboring  ministers  to  be  present,  who  after  ser- 
mon should  give  me  imposition  of  hands;  but 
although  they  performed  the  work,  he  behoved 
to  be  present."  The  latter  was  necessary  to  fulfill 
the  requirement  of  the  government.  To  accom- 
modate still  further  the  scruples  of  Mr.  Living- 
stone, the  bishop  gave  him  the  book  of  ordination 
and  desired  him  to  draw  a  line  over  whatever  he 
objected  to,  and  assured  him  it  should  not  be  read. 
"  But,"  says  Livingstone,  "  I  found  it  so  marked 


HISTORY  OF  THE  11 1  is  1 1  CHURCH        175 

l>\  some  others  before  that  I  needed  not  mark  any- 
thing." 

Such  liberality  on  the  part  of  the  ecclesiastics 
left  the  preachers  with  the  necessary  freedom  to 
prosecute  their  work  successfully.  Their  labors 
for  the  instruction  of  the  people  were  indefatigable. 
With  singleness  of  purpose,  with  intensity  of  de- 
sire and  with  untiring  diligence,  they  gave  them- 
selves to  their  sacred  duties.  Through  their 
instrumentality  the  Church  of  Christ  increased 
rapidly,  and  far  and  wide  a  marked  change  was 
visible  in  the  character  of  the  whole  population. 

While  carrying  forward  this  work  of  reform, 
Blair  and  his  brethren  were  careful  to  maintain 
Presbyterian  discipline.  "  In  my  congregation," 
writes  Blair,  "  we  had  both  deacons  for  the  poor 
and  elders  for  discipline,  and  so  long  as  we  were 
permitted  to  exercise  it  the  Lord  blessed  that  or- 
dinance." Livingstone  adopted  the  same  method, 
and  speaks  of  his  session  meeting  weekly,  adjudi- 
cating cases  of  discipline  and  debarring  unworthy 
persons  from  the  communion-table.  The  com- 
munion was  observed  twice  a  year  in  each  church, 
and  it  was  customary  for  the  people  of  the  neigh- 
boring parishes  to  attend  with  their  pastors.  The 
same  custom  was  afterward  transferred  to  Amer- 
ica, and  memorable  scenes  were  witnessed  here 
also  in  connection  with  these  communis  n-seasons. 
Nearly  all  the  clergy  of  the  north  of  Inland  were 
nonconformists,  and  generally  strict  Presbyterians. 


1  76  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

While  comprehended  within  the  pale  of  the  estab- 
lished Episcopal  Church,  its  liberality  toward  them 
was  then  such  that  they  were  enabled  to  exercise 
their  office  without  violence  to  their  scruples,  and 
to  introduce  and  maintain,  as  we  have  seen,  the 
peculiarities  both  of  discipline  and  worship  of 
the  Scotch  Church.  For  their  firmness  and  zeal, 
our  grateful  regard  is  due  to  them  as  the  found- 
ers of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Ireland. 

Though  these  Presbyterian  ministers  were  for  a 
considerable  period  unmolested  by  Episcopal  prel- 
ates, yet  was  the  progress  of  the  gospel  impeded 
by  other  obstructions.  The  first  opposers  were 
Romanists.  Two  friars  from  Salamanca,  Spain, 
challenged  the  clergy  to  a  public  dispute;  but  when 
Blair  and  Welsh  accepted  the  challenge  and  ap- 
peared at  the  appointed  time  and  place,  the  friars 
shrunk  from  the  contest.  Again  they  were  assailed 
by  Separatists  from  London,  allured  to  Ireland  by 
the  promise  of  religious  freedom,  and  subsequently 
by  English  conformists  zealous  for  Arminian  tenets. 
All  these  in  turn  were  discomfited  and  were 
obliged  to  withdraw,  and  these  several  trials  were 
overruled  for  good,  and  finally  served  to  exhibit 
more  clearly  the  eminent  piety,  learning  and 
prudence  of  these  remarkable  men. 

But  other  and  more  formidable  difficulties  were 
soon  to  be  encountered  by  these  honored  ministers. 
From  being  their  friend  and  patron,  Bishop  Echlin 
became  their  determined  opponent.     This  change 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH        177 

was  caused  by  jealousy  and  dislike,  arising  from 
the  great  success  attending  their  labors.  His  ani- 
mosity was  first  manifested  by  a  refusal  to  ordain 
any  more  ministers  unless  they  would  promise  strict 
conformity  to  the  English  Church.  He  next  set 
a  trap  to  catch  Mr.  Blair,  hoping  either  to  silence 
him  or  impair  his  influence.  But  one  of  the  lords- 
justices  interposed,  and  he  escaped.  Disappointed 
in  this  scheme,  the  bishop  suspended  both  Blair 
and  Livingstone  for  their  alleged  irregular  preach- 
ing at  the  kirk  of  Schotts.  These  brethren  were 
visiting  their  friends  in  Scotland,  and  being  pres- 
ent on  the  Sabbath  assisted  at  the  celebration  of 
the  Lord's  Supper,  and,  on  Monday,  Livingstone 
preached  with  great  power  to  a  vast  concourse 
of  people.  The  envy  of  the  prelatical  clergy  was 
excited  ;  and  charging  these  Irish  ministers  with 
uncanonical  and  schismatic  conduct,  they  prevailed 
upon  Bishop  Echlin  to  suspend  them  from  the  ex- 
ercise of  their  offices.  This  was  the  first  open 
blow  directed  against  the  Presbyterian  clergy  of 
Ulster. 

The  suspended  ministers  at  once  applied  for  re- 
lief to  Archbishop  Usher,  and  not  in  vain.  He 
immediately  interested  himself  in  their  behalf,  and, 
convinced  of  their  piety  and  prudence,  wrote  to 
Echlin  "  to  relax  his  erroneous  censure."  And  in 
a  conference  with  Blair,  after  expressing  the  fear 
that  there  were  those  who  would  endeavor  to  mar 
their  ministry,  he  added  "that  it  would  break  his 


178  SCOTCH  AND   IRISH  SEEDS. 

heart  it     uv  successful    ministry  in  the  north  were 
interrupted." 

Though  foiled  in  their  endeavor,  the  enemies  of 
these  devoted  pastors  did  not  cease  their  opposition. 
The  next  resort  was  to  the  English  court,  for  they 
feared  that  an  appeal  to  the  civil  powers  of  Ireland 
might  result  no  more  favorably  to  their  wishes  than 
had  their  representations  to  Primate  Usher.  Their 
charges  were  laid  before  the  king  himself,  and  they 
depended  upon  his  co-operation,  knowing  as  they 
did  that  he  was  guided  in  religious  matters  by 
Laud.  The  infatuated  sovereign  gave  ready  ear  to 
their  charges,  and  sent  letters  to  the  lords-justices 
of  Ireland,  directing  them  to  enjoin  the  bishops  of 
Down  and  Conner  to  try,  and  if  found  guilty  cen- 
sure, the  alleged  "fanatical  disturbers  of  the  peace 
of  his  diocese."  Accordingly,  Blair,  Livingstone, 
Dunbar  and  Welsh  were  cited  to  appear  before  the 
bishop;  and  upon  their  refusing  to  conform,  on  the 
ground  that  there  was  no  law  or  canon  requiring 
it,  they  were  deposed  from  the  office  of  the  minis- 
try. Again  application  was  made  to  Archbishop 
Usher.  "  But  he  told  us,"  says  Blair,  "  that  he 
could  not  interpose,  because  the  two  lords-justices 
had  an  order  from  the  king  respecting  us."  And 
when  the  justices  were  applied  to,  they  referred 
them  to  the  king,  who  alone  could  remedy  their 
grievance.  But  from  this  source  they  had  little  to 
expect  by  a  direct  appeal.  Yet  so  anxious  were 
they  for  a  reversal  of  their  unjust  sentence  in  order 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH       179 

that  they  might  engage  in  their  loved  work  that 
they  resolved  to  make  one  more  effort.  Living- 
stone visited  Scotland  and  obtained  recommenda- 
tory letters  to  their  friends  at  court  from  several 
of  the  Scotch  nobility.  Taking  these,  with  others, 
which  he  himself  had  procured  from  his  Irish 
friends,  Blair  visited  London,  and  was  granted  the 
privilege  of  laying  his  case  before  the  king.  A 
favorable  letter  was  written  in  his  behalf  by 
King  Charles,  which,  though  it  did  not  take  off 
the  sentence  of  deposition,  enabled  these  ministers 
to  labor  unmolested  among  their  people  under  cer- 
tain restrictions.  These  Livingstone  could  not 
endure ;  and  seeing  no  hope  of  relief,  he  left  the 
country  and  retired  to  Scotland. 

The  other  clergymen  continued  to  teach  their 
flocks  as  before,  only  refraining  from  entering 
their  pulpits  when  they  preached.  This  they  did 
with  the  expectation  that  on  the  arrival  of 
Lord- Deputy  Wentworth,  the  famous  earl  of  Straf- 
ford, to  govern  Ireland,  he  would  put  an  end  to 
their  privations.  In  this,  however,  they  were 
grievously  disappointed,  for  a  more  unfortunate 
choice  of  a  deputy,  as  respects  Presbyterian  in- 
terests, could  not  possibly  have  been  made. 
Haughty  in  manner,  vindictive  in  temper  and 
intolerant  in  his  religious  opinions,  he  was  inca- 
pable of  the  least  sympathy  for  those  who  suffer- 
ed for  any  scruple  of  conscience.  Soon  after  his 
arrival  in  Dublin,  Blair  laid  before  him  the  king's 


180  SCOTCH  AND  IRTSH  SEEDS. 

favorable  letter,  but  in  place  of  the  relief  expected 
the  overbearing  deputy  replied  "that  he  had  His 
Majesty's  mind  in  his  own  breast,"  and  began  at 
once  to  "revile  the  Church  of  Scotland"  and  up- 
braid Blair,  "  bidding  him  come  to  his  right  wits, 
and  then  he  should  be  regarded."  This  was  all 
the  answer  he  deigned  to  give  to  the  petition. 
Blair  went  with  this  intelligence  to  Usher,  who, 
as  he  listened  to  the  reply  of  the  bold,  vindictive 
man,  shed  tears. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

From  the  Accession  of  Charles  I.  to  the 
Irish  Rebellion. 

Gloomy  in  the  extreme  were  the  prospects  of 
Presbyterian  ministers  in  Ireland  on  the  accession 
of  Charles  I.,  and  little  or  no  hope  remained  that 
those  deposed  would  ever  be  restored.  The  policy 
of  the  king,  both  in  England  and  Scotland,  favored 
a  rigid  imposition  of  Episcopal  forms.  Nor  could 
it  reasonably  be  expected,  therefore,  that  the  mean 
and  truckling  Wentworth  would  show  any  leniency 
to  nonconformists.  So  far  as  it  was  thought  po- 
litic to  do  so,  Romanists  were  recipients  of  kingly 
favors.  They  were  encouraged  to  exercise  their 
former  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction,  new  religious 
houses  were  opened,  and  even  in  the  metropolis 
a  college  was  founded  for  the  training  of  priests. 
On  the  other  hand,  Protestants  were  so  impeded  in 
their  work,  and  their  freedom  of  worship  so  re- 
stricted, that  large  numbers  of  the  people,  together 
with  their  pastors,  began  to  turn  their  attention 
toward  a  home  in  the  New  World.  The  visit  of 
a  son  of  Governor  Winthrop  of  New  England, 
at  this  time,  afforded  them  an  opportunity  to  learn 

181 


182  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

of  the  prospects  which  America  offered  to  emi- 
grants who  wished  to  enjoy  religious  freedom.  So 
impressed  were  they  by  his  statements  that  they 
resolved  to  send  a  minister  and  a  layman  thither 
to  report  upon  the  country,  and,  if  desirable,  to 
select  a  place  of  settlement.  Livingstone  and 
Wallace  set  out  upon  this  mission,  but  were  pre- 
vented from  leaving  England.  On  their  return  to 
Ulster  their  brethren  determined  to  endure  these 
privations  with  what  patience  they  could,  and 
await  the  further  developments  of  the  policy  of 
the  government. 

Charles,  by  reason  of  his  expensive  wars  with 
Spain  and  Austria,  found  it  difficult  to  secure  the 
funds  necessary  to  maintain  an  adequate  army  in 
Ireland,  and  had  recourse  to  the  landed  proprie- 
tors for  assistance.  As  many  of  these  were  Roman 
Catholics,  who  were  aware  of  the  king's  pecuniary 
embarrassment,  they  conceived  that  it  would  be  a 
favorable  opportunity  to  secure  the  abolition  of 
the  penal  statutes  which  were  in  force  against 
them.  The  king  was  disposed  to  yield  to  their 
demands,  and  on  their  proffering  a  large  volun- 
tary subsidy  he  promised  to  grant  them  the  soli- 
cited privileges.  Under  the  impression  that  the 
toleration  of  the  Romish  faith  was  about  to  be 
purchased  by  a  contribution  to  the  State,  Arch- 
bishop Usher  and  the  most  influential  of  the  Irish 
prelates  protested  strongly  against  the  measure. 
This   retarded    for   a   time   the   proposed    project. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCn.        183 

But  as  the  sovereign's  needs  were  pressing,  and 
the  Romanists  firm  in  their  demands  for  conces- 
sions favorable  to  their  religion,  the  execution  of 
the  penal  laws  was  still  further  relaxed.  This 
indulgence  both  offended  and  alarmed  the  Prot- 
estants, and  led  to  a  tumult  in  Dublin,  where  an 
attempt  was  made  to  disperse  a  meeting  of  Car- 
melite friars,  and  afterward  instructions  were  sent 
to  the  English  consul  to  suppress  all  such  assem- 
blies and  to  dissolve  their  religious  houses. 

At  the  instigation  of  the  sycophantic  and  despotic 
Laud,  the  deputy  turned  his  attention  from  civil 
to  ecclesiastical  affairs.  The  former  had  encour- 
aged the  introduction  of  superstitious  rites  into 
divine  worship  in  the  English  Church,  such  as 
changing  the  communion-table  into  an  altar  and 
adorning  it  with  candlesticks  and  crucifixes,  and 
placing  pictures  and  images  in  the  churches.  He 
now  solicited  the  willing  aid  of  Wentworth  to  carry 
forward  like  changes  in  the  Irish  Church,  so  as 
to  have  its  service  approximate  as  nearly  as  pos- 
sible to  that  of  the  Romish  ritual.  The  first  and 
most  important  measure  was  to  fill  the  sees  with 
men  who  would  be  in  sympathy  with  the  scheme, 
and  who  would  be  ready  to  obey  the  orders  of 
Wentworth  as  he  received  them  from  Archbishop 
Laud.  The  place  of  the  mild  and  tolerant  Knox 
was  filled  by  the  violent  churchman  John  Leslie. 
The  pious  Downham,  bishop  of  Derry,  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Bramhall,  a  servile  creature  of  Laud's, 


184  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

whom  he  so  resembled  in  spirit  and  in  his  intoler- 
ance of  Puritans  that  he  was  styled  "  the  Canter- 
bury of  Ireland."  Usher  was  compelled  to  do 
the  bidding  of  these  bad  men,  who  ordered  him 
to  call  in  and  suppress  a  work  on  the  covenant 
of  grace  which  had  been  issued  by  the  bishop  of 
Derry,  condemning  Arminianism.  Rather  than 
comply,  and  thus  stain  his  own  fair  fame  by  evin- 
cing so  timid  and  irresolute  a  spirit,  he  should 
have  maintained  and  defended  the  standards  of 
the  Church  of  which  he  was  a  custodian.  Bedell, 
the  saintly  bishop,  who  resigned  his  office  the  bet- 
ter to  promote  reform  in  his  diocese,  and  whose 
earnest  Christian  efforts  to  spread  the  gospel  will 
ever  be  memorable  in  Ireland,  was  constantly 
thwarted  in  his  self-denying  labors.  In  prepar- 
ing young  men  to  preach  in  Irish  to  the  natives, 
in  establishing  schools  in  every  parish,  in  compil- 
ing and  printing  scriptural  books,  and  in  translat- 
ing the  Bible  into  the  language  of  the  country,  he 
displayed  an  untiring  zeal.  These  benevolent  and 
valuable  services  for  his  adopted  countrymen,  in 
connection  with  his  well-known  liberal  sentiments 
toward  nonconformists,  made  him  a  shining  mark 
for  the  poisoned  arrows  of  Laud  and  Went  worth. 
They  resolved  that  the  work  of  reformation,  which 
he  was  carrying  forward  so  successfully,  should  be 
brought  to  an  end,  and  to  accomplish  their  purpose 
suits  at  law  were  instituted  against  him.  Though 
of  too  frivolous  a  character  to  justify  his  suspen- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.        185 

sion,  they  served  to  place  obstacles  in  the  way  of 
his  work  of  evangelization.  When  thus  oppressed 
by  the  civil  authorities,  he  turned  for  sympathy  to 
Usher;  but  Usher  declined  to  extend  to  him  the 
friendly  assistance  which  he  had  a  right  to  expect, 
assigning  as  a  reason  that  "  the  tide  went  so  high 
against  him."  Bedell  replied  nobly  "that  he  was 
resolved,  by  the  help  of  God,  to  try  if  he  could 
stand  by  himself."  Still,  his  solitary  efforts  could 
accomplish  but  little  for  the  Church. 

Attention  was  next  directed  to  the  University 
of  Dublin.  There  was  too  large  a  Puritan  ele- 
ment in  its  management  to  suit  the  Romanizing 
party  in  England.  Laud  had  already  introduced 
innovations  at  Oxford  in  favor  of  popery,  and  was 
resolved  that  a  similar  change  should  be  made  at 
Dublin.  Its  provost,  Dr.  Robert  Usher,  a  rela- 
tive of  the  archbishop,  and  holding  the  same  lib- 
eral sentiments,  was  removed,  and  a  violent  Armin- 
ian  from  England  was  put  in  his  place.  The 
statutes  of  the  university  were  subjected  to  the 
revision  of  Laud  and  altered  to  suit  his  wishes, 
and  under  his  direction  the  new  provost  urged 
conformity  with  unsparing  intolerance. 

One  thing  more  was  needed  in  order  to  accom- 
plish the  work  on  which  the  archbishop  and  the 
deputy  had  set  their  hearts.  This  was  to  bring 
the  Church  of  Ireland  into  a  more  perfect  con- 
formity to  the  English  Establishment.  The  latter 
undertook  'he  task,  and  accomplished  it  in  a  sum- 


186  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

mary  manner.  By  his  order  a  convocation  of  the 
clergy  was  summoned  to  meet  in  November,  1634, 
and  in  furtherance  of  his  designs  he  did  not  hesi- 
tate to  employ  intrigue,  deception  and  menace. 
The  Calvinistic  confession,  prepared  by  Usher, 
adopted  by  the  Irish  Church,  and  ratified  by  Par- 
liament twenty  years  before,  was  the  chief  obsta- 
cle in  the  way  of  the  deputy.  In  order  merely 
to  manifest  the  agreement  between  the  Churches 
of  England  and  Ireland,  he  proposed  to  Usher 
that  the  Thirty-nine  Articles  of  the  former  should 
be  received  and  recognized,  and  promised  that  this 
should  not  displace  or  in  any  way  interfere  with 
the  Confession  of  the  Irish  Church.  Obtaining  the 
assent  of  Usher,  the  Thirty-nine  Articles  were  re- 
ceived. But  no  sooner  were  they  adopted  than 
it  was  claimed  that  they  were  the  sole  accredited 
standard  of  the  Church's  faith,  and  that  the  Irish 
articles,  by  construction,  had  been  wholly  abro- 
gated. The  deception  was  discovered  too  late  to 
correct  the  error,  though  an  effort  to  do  so  was 
immediately  made  by  attempting  to  amend  the 
English  canons.  The  convocation  was  overruled 
by  Wentworth  in  the  most  arbitrary  and  insulting 
manner.  He  sent  immediately  for  the  chairman, 
and  commanded  him  to  bring  the  book  of  canons, 
together  with  the  draft  of  the  proposed  changes, 
and  as  soon  as  he  had  read  these  he  began  to  pour 
out  on  him  the  vials  of  his  fierce  wrath.  He  told 
him  that  "certainly  not  a  dean  of  Limerick,  but 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.        187 

an  Ananias,  had  sat  in  the  chair."  He  was  "sure 
an  Ananias  had  been  there  in  spirit,  if  not  in  body, 
with  all  the  fraternities  and  conventicles  of  Am- 
sterdam." Hamilton  was  the  boldest  champion 
of  the  independence  of  the  Church.  But  his  in- 
fluence, with  that  of  kindred  men  in  the  convoca- 
tion, was  crushed  by  the  despotic  will  of  the  dep- 
uty, ably  seconded  as  he  was  by  Bramhall  and 
Leslie.  In  this  violent  and  summary  manner  was 
the  constitution  of  the  Irish  Episcopal  Church 
finally  settled.  The  Thirty-nine  Articles  of  the 
English  Church  became  the  standard  of  the  for- 
mer, and  the  clergy  were  forced  to  accept  them 
with  their  Arminian  interpretation. 

Having  carried  out  his  plan  with  such  wonder- 
ful success,  it  might  be  supposed  that  Wentworth 
would  be  content.  But  not  so.  He  desired  in- 
creased power.  Accordingly,  he  applied  to  Laud 
and  Charles  for  authority  to  erect  a  High  Com- 
mission court  in  Dublin.  In  his  letter  he  says : 
"I  hold  it  most  fit  that  there  were  a  High  Com- 
mission settled  here  in  Dublin  to  support  eccle- 
siastical courts  and  officers,  to  bring  the  people 
here  to  a  conformity  in  religion,  and  in  the  way 
of  all  these  to  raise  perhaps  a  good  revenue  to  the 
Crown."  In  this  proposal  the  wily  statesman  bids 
for  the  sanction  of  the  prelate  by  his  expressed  in- 
tention of  persecuting  nonconformists,  and  for  that 
of  the  king  by  the  hope  of  augmented  revenues. 
The  authority*  sought  was  granted,  and  with  this 


188  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

unconstitutional  tribunal  he  subjected  the  freedom 
and  property  of  every  individual  to  his  arbitrary 
will  and  pleasure,  and  by  its  summary  processes, 
from  whose  judgment  there  was  no  appeal,  he  was 
enabled  to  crush  out  the  slightest  opposition  to 
his  tyrannical  measures.* 

The  Presbyterians  of  Ulster  were  soon  made  to 
feel  the  power  that  had  been  thus  entrusted  to  the 
deputy,  and  their  condition  grew  worse  day  by  day. 
The  four  ministers  suspended  by  Echlin  were  de- 
nied a  fair  trial,  which  they  had  requested,  and  were 
reproached  for  their  unwillingness  to  conform.  For 
a  brief  period,  and  as  a  matter  of  public  policy, 
and  not  because  of  any  favor  entertained  for  these 
pastors,  their  sentence  of  suspension  was  relaxed. 
They  were  restored  for  six  months  to  the  office  of 
the  ministry,  with  the  hope  that  this  might  allay 
the  irritated  feelings  of  the  Scotch  planters,  whose 
lands  had  been  threatened  with  confiscation.  But 
at  the  expiration  of  this  period  their  license  was 
revoked,  and  at  the  instigation  of  Bramhall  they 
were  formally  deposed. 

Bishop  Echlin,  dying  in  July,  1635,  was  suc- 
ceeded by  that  violent  bigot,  Henry  Leslie,  who 
immediately  began  the  work  of  persecuting  non- 

*  "  A  High  Commission  court  sat  in  Dublin,  canons  were 
passed  for  ecclesiastical  government,  and  dissent,  under  any 
Protestant  form,  was  utterly  prohibited.  All  who  refused  to 
obey  the  bishops  and  introduce  and  use  the  English  liturgy, 
were  deprived  of  their  cures."—  Froude,  vol.  i.,  p.  77. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.        189 

conformists.  On  his  requiring  from  the  clergy  of 
his  diocese  their  subscription  to  the  canons,  five  of 
the  most  zealous  and  influential  of  them  refused  to 
comply.  For  this  reason  alone  these  faithful  min- 
isters were  summarily  deposed  from  their  office, 
deprived  of  their  support,  and  finally  obliged  to 
leave  the  kingdom.  These  unjust  and  arbitrary 
proceedings  still  more  fully  convinced  Presby- 
terians that  there  was  no  liberty  to  be  expected 
by  either  pastors  or  people  so  long  as  they  were 
subjected  to  prelacy,  and  that  it  was  their  duty  to 
abandon  a  country  in  which  their  religious  privi- 
leges were  so  flagrantly  violated.  Accordingly,  they 
determined  to  carry  out  their  previous  design  to  re- 
move to  New  England,  and  commenced  work  at  once 
on  a  ship  called  the  Eaglewing,  in  which  they  pro- 
posed to  embark  in  the  spring.  After  many  dis- 
appointments and  much  delay  the  preparations  for 
the  voyage  were  completed,  and  one  hundred  and 
forty  emigrants,  accompanied  by  Blair,  Livingstone 
and  Hamilton,  set  sail  from  Loch  Fergus  in  Sep- 
tember, 1636.  But  contrary  winds  and  a  fierce 
tempest,  that  caused  the  loss  of  the  rudder  and 
the  ship  to  spring  aleak,  compelled  them  to  re- 
turn to  Ireland,  and  convinced  them  "  that  it 
was  not  God's  will  that  they  should  go  to  New 
England." 

But  there  was  no  rest  for  them  in  Ireland  while 
the  Episcopal  authorities,  through  the  po'ver  of 
the  High  Commission,  could  arrest  and   imprison 


190  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

all  persons  at  their  pleasure.  Numbers  were  com- 
mitted to  prison  or  forced  to  fly  the  country. 
Armed  with  extraordinary  powers  by  the  English 
court,  Wentworth  pursued  his  rapacious  schemes 
with  new  energy.  He  subjected  the  titles  of  the 
Ulster  colonists  to  a  rigorous  examination  ;  and 
where  they  had  failed  to  fulfill  in  any  particular 
the  numerous  and  expensive  conditions  of  their 
grants,  he  obliged  them  to  renew  their  patents,  for 
which  he  extorted  large  sums  of  money.  Not  only 
were  the  rights  of  property  violated,  but  the  per- 
sonal liberty  of  the  people  was  invaded  and  the 
lives  of  the  highest  in  the  realm  endangered  if  they 
dared  to  oppose  the  deputy's  authority.  Severe  and 
unwarranted  punishment  was  inflicted  at  his  mere 
caprice.  He  authorized  the  bishop  of  Down  to  ar- 
rest and  imprison  in  a  summary  manner  all  who 
refused  to  subscribe  to  the  canons.  Suffering  under 
these  great  grievances,  both  civil  and  religious, 
many  of  the  Presbyterians  of  Ulster  fled  to  the 
west  of  Scotland,  where  a  number  of  their  former 
pastors,  who  had  preceded  them,  were  settled  over 
parishes.  This  served  to  keep  up  frequent  com- 
munication between  the  two  countries,  and  enabled 
the  people  to  be  of  mutual  service  to  each  other 
in  the  common  struggle  for  civil  and  religious  lib- 
erty. Not  a  few  of  these  Ulster  Presbyterians, 
when  visiting  their  native  country,  had  subscribed 
the  Covenant.  Witnessing  the  beneficial  results 
of  the   victory    which    had    been    obtained    over 


HISTORY   OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.        191 

prelacy  by  their  Scotch  brethren,  they  were  the 
more  dissatisfied  with  the  tyranny  under  which 
they  were  living,  and  the  more  determined  in 
their  resistance. 

Such  was  the  spirit  manifested  that  AVentworth 
became  alarmed  lest  the  people  of  Ulster  should 
openly  resist  his  authority.  He,  therefore,  took 
measures  to  cut  off  all  correspondence  with  Scot- 
land, and  to  collect  an  army  either  to  invade  Scot- 
land in  co-operation  with  Charles,  or  to  hold  in 
subjection  the  Scotch  residents  in  Ulster.  He  also 
called  to  his  aid  the  prelates,  and  directed  them  to 
enforce  conformity,  to  preach  against  the  Covenant, 
and  to  obstruct  the  settlement  of  any  more  Scotch 
ministers  within  their  dioceses.  His  final  expe- 
dient was  the  imposition  upon  all  the  Scots  of 
North  Ireland  of  an  oath  called  The  Black  Oath, 
from  the  terrible  evils  it  occasioned.  It  was  a  sug- 
gestion of  Charles  I.  to  his  obedient  deputy,  and  it 
is  scarcely  possible  to  conceive  of  anything  more 
objectionable  than  this  oath,  or  more  in  conflict 
with  the  principles  of  the  civil  and  religious  rights 
of  subjects.  It  compelled  the  party  to  swear  never 
to  oppose  any  of  the  king's  commands  and  to  ab- 
jure all  covenants  and  oaths  to  the  contrary.  All 
the  Scotch  residents  in  Ulster  over  sixteen  years 
of  age  were  required  to  take  it  on  their  knees  and 
swearing  "  upon  the  holy  evangelists,"  without 
even  the  privilege  of  perusing  it  in  most  instances. 
Women  as  well  as  men  were  sworn  ;  the  only  ex- 


192  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

ception  was  in  favor  of  those  Scots  who  professed 
to  be  Roman  Catholics.  In  administering  the 
oath  the  commissioners  were  required  to  proceed 
in  the  most  expeditious  manner  possible,  and  per- 
mit no  one  to  evade  them  from  any  want  of  vigi- 
lance on  their  part.  The  ministers  and  church- 
wardens were  obliged  to  make  a  return  of  all  the 
Scots  who  resided  in  their  parishes.  If  any  re- 
fused to  take  the  oath,  their  names  were  forwarded 
to  Dublin,  when  officers  were  dispatched  by  Went- 
worth  to  execute  his  pleasure  on  the  recusants. 

The  deputy  supposed  that  the  people  would 
generally,  through  fear,  take  the  obnoxious  oath. 
They  had  no  objection  to  pledge  their  allegiance 
to  their  king,  but  very  many  refused  to  yield 
unconditional  obedience  to  all  that  he  might  com- 
mand, whether  just  or  unjust.  On  these  the  high- 
est penalties  of  the  law,  short  of  death,  were  fre- 
quently inflicted.  Many  were  fined,  others  were 
cast  into  dungeons,  while  multitudes  deserted  their 
homes  and  fled  to  the  woods,  leaving  their  valuable 
properties  to  speedy  ruin.  So  many  of  the  laboring 
population  fled  to  Scotland  that  it  was  found  very 
difficult  to  gather  the  ripened  grain  in  the  fields. 
The  severity  of  the  sufferings  endured  by  these 
Christian  patriots  may  be  inferred  from  the  pun- 
ishment meted  out  to  a  Mr.  Stewart,  who  refused 
to  swear  to  the  unconditional  terms  of  the  oath. 
He  and  his  family  were  dragged  up  to  Dublin, 
placed  in  close  confinement,  speedily  brought   to 


HISTORY  OF  Till,    llllsll  CHURCH.        193 

trial  in  the  Star-Chamber — a  court  in  which  even 
the  forms  of  law  and  justice  were  despised — and 
fined  in  the  sum  of  sixteen  thousand  pounds,  and 
were  ordered  to  be  imprisoned  at  their  own  charges 
until  the  exorbitant  fine  was  paid.  This  sentence 
they  were  told  to  consider  as  an  act  of  leniency  on 
the  part  of  their  judges,  for  had  they  been  pun- 
ished as  they  deserved  they  would  have  been  de- 
clared worthy  of  death  for  treason.  Among  their 
judges  was  Primate  Usher,  who,  while  evincing 
more  moderation  than  the  other  prelates  in  the 
trial,  was  swept  along  by  the  power  and  fear  of 
royal  prerogative,  and  led  to  concur  in  the  judg- 
ment required  by  the  cruel  Wentworth,  who  then 
and  there  expressed  his  determination  to  prosecute 
"to  the  blood"  all  who  declined  the  oath  and  drive 
them  "root  and  branch"  out  of  the  kingdom; 
and  he  was  as  good  as  his  word,  for  he  imposed 
it  with  the  greatest  cruelty  upon  all  ages,  ranks 
and  sexes  of  the  nonconformists  in  Ireland. 

For  the  time  being  the  power  of  the  deputy  was 
irresistible.  No  one  dared  to  oppose  his  oppres- 
sive measures.  If  any  person  evinced  the  least 
sympathy  for  those  persecuted  for  their  religious 
scruples  in  taking  the  oath,  it  was  sufficient  to  in- 
cur his  severest  censures.  Archibald  Adair,  bishop 
of  Killala,  having  expressed  his  contempt  of  the 
conduct  of  a  renegade  Scotchman  who  had  reviled 
his  brethren  for  their  attachment  to  the  Covenant, 
was  committed  to  prison  and  tried  before  the  High 
13 


194  SCOTCH  AND   IRISH  SEEDS. 

Commission  court.  At  the  instigation  of  Bram- 
hall,  and  with  the  consent  of  the  other  bigoted  and 
sycophantic  prelates,  lie  was  deprived  of  his  see, 
fined  two  thousand  pounds  and  ordered  to  be  im- 
prisoned during  the  pleasure  of  the  court.  Bishop 
Bedell  was  alone  in  his  opposition  to  this  despotic 
measure,  and  by  an  able  argument  founded  on  the 
scriptural  qualifications  of  a  bishop  sought  to  be- 
friend his  calumniated  and  injured  brother. 

Charles  did  not  fail  to  reward  the  services  of 
his  unscrupulous  and  faithful  servant,  Wentworth. 
He  was  appointed  lord-lieutenant  of  Ireland,  ele- 
vated to  the  rank  of  an  earl,  and  received  other 
marks  of  royal  approval  and  confidence.  In  re- 
turn he  entered  with  ardor  into  the  king's  plans, 
contributed  largely  to  them  out  of  his  own  private 
fortune,  and  immediately  issued  orders  to  raise  an 
army  to  occupy  Ulster  and  to  aid  his  master,  who 
had  resolved  to  renew  the  war  in  Scotland  when- 
ever the  opportune  time  should  arrive.  This  army, 
consisting  of  eight  thousand  foot  and  one  thousand 
horse,  was  almost  entirely  composed  of  Roman 
Catholics.  It  was  stationed  at  several  points  along 
the  coast  where  it  could  be  employed  to  crush  out 
any  popular  rising  of  the  nonconformists,  or,  if 
needed,  could  be  readily  transported  to  Scotland 
for  the  purpose  of  an  invasion  of  that  country. 

These  unresisted  efforts  to  keep  the  north  of 
Ireland  in  peace  and  submission,  Strafford  hoped 
would  prove  effectual.     In  this  belief  he  retired  to 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH        196 

England  to  consult  with  his  sovereign  and  mature 
further  plans  for  maintaining  the  royal  cause,  leav- 
ing the  government  in  the  charge  of  a  deputy.     But 
scarcely  had  he  taken  his  departure  when  a  spirit 
of    resolute  opposition    manifested    itself.      Those 
who  had  long  suffered  in  silence  under  the  most 
severe    oppressions    began    to    complain    of    their 
grievances  and  burdens.     The  evils  of  his  admin- 
istration were  freely  exposed,  and  the  people  earn- 
estly and    forcibly  demanded    relief    from   its   in- 
tolerable  abuses.      Equal   discontent  prevailed  in 
England,  and  for  very  similar  causes.     This   led 
to  frequent  communications  between  English  patri- 
ots and  their  oppressed  brethren  in  Ireland,  where 
were  found  many  congenial  spirits   who  not  only 
valued  civil  and  religious  liberty,  but  stood  ready 
to  resist  the  usurpations  of  the  Crown.     Well  was 
it  for  Great  Britain  that  there  arose  at  this  time  a 
party  who  both  held  correct  views  of  constitution- 
al freedom  and  had  the  cournge  to  maintain  them. 
Though  the  epithet  "Puritans"  had  been  derisively 
applied    to   them,    yet   even    Hume    himself    was 
obliged  to   make  the  remarkable   admission,  "So 
absolute  was  the  authority  of  the  Crown  that  the 
precious  spark   of  liberty  had   been   kindled  and 
was  preserved  by  the  Puritans  alone,  and  it  was 
to  this  sect  that  the  English  owe  the  whole  free- 
dom of  their  constitution."* 

Their  brethren  in  Ireland  had  finally  resolved 
*  History  of  Enyland,  vol.  v.,  p.  134. 


196  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

upon  bold  measures.  They  drew  up  a  Remon- 
strance, setting  forth  the  evils  they  had  suffered 
during  the  government  of  Strafford,  and  appointed 
a  committee  of  six  to  present  it  to  the  king  in  per- 
son, and  to  demand  that  their  worst  grievances 
should  be  speedily  redressed.  At  this  opportune 
moment  the  Long  Parliament  met,  having  been 
called  together  by  the  king  to  supply  his  urgent 
need  of  money.  But  instead  of  voting  the  re- 
quired sums  of  money,  one  of  the  first  motions 
made  was  to  take  into  consideration  the  affairs  of 
Ireland.  The  result  was  the  bold  measure  of  im- 
peaching Strafford  for  high  treason.  A  committee 
was  appointed  to  prepare  charges  against  him,  and 
the  same  day  he  was  formally  impeached,  seques- 
tered from  his  seat  and  committed  to  the  Tower, 
and  in  the  following  May,  in  less  than  six  months 
from  the  time  he  was  in  the  zenith  of  his  power, 
he  was  beheaded  on  Tower  Hill — a  memorable  ex- 
ample to  all  unprincipled  statesmen. 

Freed  from  the  restraints  of  the  earl  of  Straf- 
ford's presence  and  authority,  and  encouraged  by 
their  friends  in  England,  the  nonconformists  of 
Ulster  now  earnestly  sought  deliverance  from  the 
evils  under  which  they  had  so  long  suffered. 
They  drew  up  a  petition  detailing  their  many 
grievances,  both  civil  and  religious,  and  pray- 
ing for  the  enjoyment  of  liberty  of  conscience. 
This  was  presented  to  the  Long  Parliament,  and 
nelped   to  swell    the  tide  of  national  indignation 


HISTORY  OF  Till-:   IRISH  CHURCH.        197 

that  was  rising  against  royal  and  prelatical  usur- 
pation. In  this  petition  the  northern  Presbyte- 
rians evinced  their  strong  attachment  to  their  own 
faith  and  order,  for,  next  to  the  privilege  of  wor- 
shiping God  as  their  consciences  approved,  they 
asked  for  the  restoration  of  their  banished  pastors 
Without  an  educated  and  pious  ministry,  they  felt 
there  could  not  be  permanent  peace  and  prosperity 
in  the  kingdom ;  and  while  they  had  been  deprived 
of  the  services  of  their  honored  ministers,  who  were 
obliged  to  escape  to  Scotland,  the  more  learned  of 
the  laity  were  accustomed  to  call  their  neighbors 
together  and  expound  the  Scripture  to  them.  By 
this  means  the  knowledge  and  love  of  the  truth 
were  preserved  among  the  people,  and  they  were 
eager  to  embrace  the  first  opportunity  which  offered 
to  engage  again  in  the  methods  of  worship  to  which 
they  had  been  accustomed. 

The  representations  contained  in  this  petition, 
reciting  as  they  did  the  persecutions  to  which  they 
had  been  subjected,  were  not  unavailing.  They 
had  great  influence  in  securing  the  conviction  of 
Wentworth  for  violating  the  fundamental  laws  of 
the  kingdom  during  his  tyrannical  administration, 
and  in  obtaining  in  1641  a  complete  change  in  the 
government  of  Ireland.  Two  lords-justices  were 
appointed,  both  belonging  to  the  Puritan  party, 
who  labored  earnestly  to  repair  the  evils  wrought 
by  the  former  rulers,  in  which  work  they  received 
the  hearty  co-operation  of  the  English  Parliament. 


198  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

The  High  Commission  court  was  summarily  abol- 
ished, many  of  the  illegal  penalties  imposed  by  ec- 
clesiastical courts  were  declared  null  and  void, 
Bishop  Adair  and  five  Presbyterian  ministers  of 
the  diocese  of  Down  were  restored  to  their  of- 
fices, the  sentence  of  confiscation  of  the  lands  in 
the  county  of  Londonderry  was  rescinded,  and  the 
army  which  Strafford  had  collected  in  Ulster  to 
overawe  the  nonconformists  was  disbanded.  The 
removal  of  these  and  kindred  evils  ensured  a  peace 
and  tranquillity  in  Ireland  such  as  had  not  b(«n 
known  for  a  long  period. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

From  the  Irish  Rebellion  to  the  Death 
of  Charles  I. 

The  immunities  and  privileges  secured  through 
the  overthrow  of  Wentworth  and  the  High  Com- 
mission court  were  shared  equally  by  Roman  Cath- 
olics and  Protestants,  as  was  both  just  and  right. 
While  the  Romanists  were  suffering  the  common 
grievances  resulting  from  the  wicked  government 
of  the  earl  of  Strafford,  they  were  ready  to  make 
common  cause  with  the  Protestants.  But  when 
they  were  freed  from  the  oppression  they  had  so 
long  endured,  and  their  religion  and  their  clergy 
were  no  longer  molested  in  their  religious  rites, 
they  began  to  cherish  the  hope  that  they  might 
attain  to  that  political  ascendency  which  their  pre- 
ponderance of  numbers  seemed  to  warrant.  Incited 
alike  by  their  own  ambitious  leaders,  their  hatred 
of  Protestantism  and  the  promises  and  intrigues  of 
the  king,  they  ere  long  aimed  at  nothing  less  than 
the  entire  overthrow  of  the  British  power  in  Ire- 
land. The  native  Irish,  many  of  whom  were  de- 
scendants of  the  ancient  chieftains,  and  who  were 

m 


200  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

the  hereditary  enemies  of  the  English,  joined  in 
the  insurrection,  with  the  expectation  of  recover- 
ing their  forfeited  landed  property,  and  from  a 
desire  to  re-establish  Romanism.  They  were 
encouraged  by  promised  assistance  from  their 
friends  on  the  Continent,  by  whose  aid  they 
hoped  to  drive  out  all  English  usurpers  and 
to  restore  the  nation  to  its  former  independence. 
They  were  incited  to  rebellion  also  by  the  priests, 
who  had  taught  them  to  hate  and  abhor  both  the 
persons  and  religion  of  the  Protestants,  and  their 
prejudices,  as  also  the  great  ignorance  in  which 
they  were  kept  by  their  spiritual  advisers,  ren- 
dered them  the  easy  dupes  of  designing  leaders. 
The  priests,  in  their  turn,  were  instigated  by  the 
emissaries  of  the  pope,  ambitious  to  recover  his 
supremacy  over  a  country  which  had  been  regard- 
ed as  "  the  especial  patrimony  of  the  Romish  see." 
A  prominent  object,  therefore,  of  the  rebellion  was 
the  destruction  of  Protestantism,  and  from  the 
first  the  watchword  was  the  extirpation  of  all 
heretics. 

The  plan  contemplated,  on  a  certain  fixed  day, 
the  simultaneous  seizure  of  Dublin  and  the  princi- 
pal forts  and  castles  throughout  the  kingdom,  and 
the  disarming  and  securing  those  who  would  not 
join  in  the  insurrection.  Though  the  conspirators 
carried  on  their  proceedings  with  the  utmost  cau- 
tion and  secrecy,  the  lords-justices  and  some  of  the 
Protestant  nobility  received  information  of  the  plot 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.       201 

in  time  to  secure  the  safety  of  the  metropolis  and 
some  of  the  most  important  castles  and  towns. 
Through  intelligence  furnished  by  a  converted 
Romanist  who  had  been  urged  to  join  the  con- 
spirators, measures  were  hastily  adopted  whereby 
Belfast,  Enniskillen,  Deny,  Coleraine,  Carrick- 
fergus  and  the  town  and  castle  of  Antrim  were 
secured  against  capture  and  pillage  by  the  rebels. 
These  towns  served  as  places  of  refuge  for  the  per- 
secuted and  famishing  Protestants  who  were  driven 
from  their  desolated  homes,  and  where  the  Scots 
of  Ulster  rallied  and  held  in  check  the  insurgents 
in  their  otherwise  unimpeded  progress  until  Eng- 
lish arms  could  be  sent  to  aid  in  their  subjection. 

Notwithstanding  these  precautionary  measures, 
such  was  the  success  of  the  uprising  that  in  little 
more  than  a  fortnight  from  its  commencement  the 
rebels  were  masters  of  the  greater  part  of  Ulster, 
together  with  the  two  neighboring  counties,  and 
had  collected  a  force  of  thirty  thousand  men  act- 
uated by  hatred  of  the  English  as  conquerors  and 
heretics,  and  thirsting  for  their  blood.  The  undis- 
ciplined and  revengeful  soldiers  were  encouraged  to 
give  free  scope  to  their  worst  passions  by  the  na- 
tive Irish  leaders,  who  aimed  at  nothing  less  than 
the  extirpation  of  all  Protestants.  Their  orders 
were,  u  Spare  neither  man,  woman  nor  child.  The 
English  are  meat  for  dogs;  there  shall  not  be  one 
drop  of  English  blood  left  within  the  kingdom." 
Well  did  they  obey  the  commands  of  their  supe- 


202  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

riors.  The  havoc  was  terrible.  "An  unhersal 
massacre  ensued ;  nor  age,  nor  sex,  nor  infancy- 
was  spared  ;  all  conditions  were  involved  in  the 
general  ruin.  In  vain  did  the  unhappy  victim 
appeal  to  the  sacred  ties  of  humanity,  hospitality, 
family  connection,  and  all  the  tender  obligations 
of  social  commerce ;  companions,  friends,  relatives, 
not  only  denied  protection,  but  dealt  with  their 
own  hands  the  fatal  blow."  The  houses  of  the 
victims  were  either  consumed  with  fire  or  lev- 
eled with  the  ground.  Their  cattle,  because  they 
had  belonged  to  abhorred  heretics,  were  either 
killed  or  covered  with  wounds  and  turned  loose 
to  abide  a  lingering,  painful  end.  Their  valuable 
stores  of  grain  were  wantonly  squandered  and  des- 
troyed, so  that  famine  ensued,  owing  to  the  scarcity 
of  food.  The  refusal  of  the  rebels  to  bury  the 
corpses  of  their  murdered  victims  in  many  places 
induced  a  pestilential  fever,  which  carried  off  great 
numbers  of  the  inhabitants  who  had  escaped  the 
fury  of  their  enemies.  So  destructive  was  the 
pestilence  that  it  was  computed  that  in  Coleraine 
six  thousand  died  in  four  months,  in  Carrickfergus 
two  thousand  jive  hundred,  in  Belfast  and  Malone 
above  two  thousand,  and  in  Antrim  and  other 
places  a  like  proportion. 

But  we  will  not  dwell  upon  this  terrible  scene 
of  blood,  which  rivaled  in  its  carnage  that  of  St. 
Bartholomew.  History  records  no  more  dreadful 
massacres   than    were    perpetrated   by   the   blood- 


HISTORY   OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.       203 

thirsty  savages  who  were  let  loose  upon  Ulster. 
Not  satisfied  with  slaying  defenceless  women  and 
children,  they  took  a  fiendish  delight  in  first  tor- 
menting them,  and  their  appeals  for  mercy  and  cries 
of  pain  were  answered  with  re vi lings  and  insults.* 

*  Lest  any  one  may  think  we  have  exaggerated  the  horrors 
of  this  insurrection,  we  append  what  the  historian  Froude  says 
respecting  it :  "  The  order  was  to  drive  the  English  settlers 
and  their  families  from  their  houses  and  strip  men,  women  and 
children  even  of  the  clothes  upon  their  backs.  .  .  .  On  the 
morning  of  the  fatal  Saturday  there  appeared  before  the  houses 
of  the  settlers  gangs  of  armed  Irish,  who  demanded  instant 
possession,  and  on  being  admitted  ejected  the  entire  families, 
and  stripped  most  of  them  to  the  skin.  Many  resisted  and 
were  killed,  many  sought  shelter  in  the  houses  of  their  Irish 
neighbors,  with  whom  they  had  lived  in  intimacy.  The  doors 
of  their  neighbors  were  opened  in  seeming  hospitality,  but 
within  they  were  not  human  beings — not  even  human  savages 
— but  ferocious  beasts.  The  priests  had  so  charmed  the  Irish, 
and  laid  such  bloody  impressions  on  them,  that  it  was  held  a 
mortal  sin  to  give  relief  or  protection  to  the  English.  .  .  . 
Savage  creatures  of  both  sexes,  yelping  in  chorus  and  bran- 
dishing their  skenes,  boys  practicing  their  young  hands  in  stab- 
bing and  torturing  the  English  children, — these  were  the  scenes 
which  were  witnessed  daily  throughout  all  parts  of  Ulster. 
The  distinction  between  Scots  and  English  soon  vanished. 
Religion  was  made  the  new  dividing-line,  and  the  one  crime 
was  to  be  a  Protestant.  .  .  .  The  priests  told  the  people  '  that 
the  Protestants  were  worse  than  dogs — they  were  devils  and 
served  the  devil — and  the  killing  of  them  was  a  meritorious 
act.'"— Froude,  vol.  i.,  pp.97,  107,  108. 

Roman  Catholic  historians  in  vain  deny  these  charges.  De- 
positions filling  forty  volumes  are  still  preserved  in  the  library 
of  Trinity  College  which  tell  the  tale  with  perfect  distin  'tness 
and  consistency. 


204  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

On  no  class  did  these  sufferings  fall  more  heavily 
than  on  the  Protestant  ministers.  Being  marked 
out  specially  for  persecution  by  the  priests  who 
instigated  the  rebellion,  they  were  shown  no  quar- 
ter. In  a  small  part  of  Ulster  alone  thirty  were 
murdered,  while  a  much  larger  number  died  in 
circumstances  of  extreme  wretchedness  and  pov- 
erty. Bishop  Bedell  was  the  only  Englishman 
in  the  whole  county  of  Cavan  who  was  permitted 
to  live  undisturbed  in  his  own  house.  Even  he, 
though  he  had  labored  so  earnestly  for  the  good 
of  the  Irish  people,  and  with  a  humility  and  dis- 
interestedness that  had  commanded  the  respect  of 
the  most  bigoted  Romanists  in  his  diocese,  was  at 
last  arrested  and  imprisoned,  and  only  released  a 
few  weeks  before  his  death.  As  an  evidence  of 
the  respect  entertained  for  him,  the  privilege  of 
burial  by  the  side  of  his  wife  in  the  churchyard 
of  Kilmore  was  granted,  and  a  large  force  of  reb- 
els attended  his  funeral,  who,  when  they  fired  a 
volley  over  his  grave,  expressed  the  wish  that  the 
last  of  the  English  might  rest  in  peace.  Having 
esteemed  him  as  the  best  of  the  English  bishops 
who  had  labored  among  them,  they  were  resolved 
he  should  be  the  last  left  in  Ireland. 

No  trustworthy  record  remains  of  the  number 
of  Protestants  who  perished  in  the  rebellion  by 
the  sword,  or  from  famine  and  pestilence.  Suf- 
fice it  to  say  that  the  lowest  possible  estimate  to  be 
made    presents  an    awful  sacrifice  of  human   life. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.       205 

In  Ulster  the  devastation  produced  by  the  exter- 
minating warfare,  which  was  carried  on  for  months, 
was  so  terrible  that  the  Presbyterian  interest  was 
well  nigh  destroyed.  Yet  the  Presbyterians,  as  a 
body,  did  not  Buffer  so  severely  as  the  Episcopa- 
lians. The  reason  for  this  was  that  the  previous 
persecutions  of  Wentworth,  by  his  agents  Leslie 
and  Bramhall  and  the  court  of  High  Commission, 
had  compelled  many  of  the  most  influential  Pres- 
byterian clergy  and  nobility  to  retire  to  Scotland, 
where  the  pastors  had  been  joined  by  many  of 
their  parishioners,  who  were  induced  to  go  mainly 
by  a  desire  to  attend  upon  their  ministry.  Thus 
multitudes  were  providentially  preserved,  and  what 
was  designed  to  ruin  the  Presbyterian  Church 
proved  in  the  end  its  preservation.  But  those 
who  did  remain  and  were  saved  from  the  terrible 
carnage  were  rendered  poor  in  property,  and  were 
destitute  of  the  public  ordinances  of  religion. 
They,  however,  continued  steadfast  in  their  love 
of  their  Church;  and  when  the  rebellion  was  finally 
subdued  and  peace  restored,  they  heartily  united 
with  their  brethren  who  returned  from  Scotland 
in  re-establishing  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
Ireland. 

After  the  devastation  had  continued  several 
months,  Charles,  by  reason  of  the  intelligence  con- 
veyed to  him  at  Edinburgh,  was  induced  to  issue 
commissions  for  the  raising  of  regiments  to  defend 
the  kingdom,  and  the  lords-justices  adopted   meas- 


206  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

ures  to  furnish  arras  to  the  levies  that  were  ordered. 
These  regiments  were  commanded  by  men  who  had 
the  respect  and  confidence  of  their  soldiers.  This 
was  especially  true  of  Sir  William  and  Sir  Robert 
Stewart,  who  had  command  of  the  forces  raised 
in  the  counties  of  Deny  and  Donegal,  which  were 
afterward  known  as  the  Lagan  Forces.  With 
these  the  insurgents  were  held  in  check.  Learn- 
ing more  fully  the  dangerous  situation  of  the  Prot- 
estants in  the  north  of  Ireland,  the  Scottish  Parlia- 
ment offered  a  supply  of  three  thousand  stand  of 
arms  and  ten  thousand  men  for  their  relief.  Be- 
fore these,  however,  could  become  available,  it  was 
necessary  to  obtain  the  sanction  of  the  English 
authorities,  and  their  aid  in  supporting  the  army. 
This  was  promptly  given,  and  the  English  Com- 
mons not  only  voted  a  liberal  supply  of  money, 
but  an  additional  levy  of  men.  Still,  owing  to 
many  vexatious  delays,  it  was  some  months  before 
these  latter  regiments  arrived  in  Ireland  and  joined 
tHe  forces  operating  against  the  insurgents.  After 
their  junction  an  active  warfare  was  prosecuted, 
but  it  was  not  until  several  fierce  conflicts  had 
taken  place  that  the  rebellion  was  subdued. 
Finding  that  they  could  not  oppose  successfully 
the  combined  forces  of  the  Scotch  and  English, 
the  principal  leaders  resolved  to  disband  their 
followers  and  seek  safety  in  flight. 

The  cessation  of  hostilities,  though   partial  and 
temporary,  prepared  the  way  for  the  re-establish- 


HISTORY   OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH,       207 

merit  of  religion.  The  Episcopal  Church,  which 
had  been  so  arrogant  and  intolerant  in  the  day  of 
prosperity,  was  now  overthrown.  Not  a  single 
bishop  and  but  very  few  of  her  clergy  continued 
to  live  within  the  province.  Most  of  the  Prot- 
estant laity  who  remained  and  had  survived  the 
rebellion  were  not  in  heart  friends  of  the  Irish 
Episcopal  Church,  having  been  constrained  by 
penal  laws  to  conform  to  its  service.  Con- 
sequently, when  previous  restraints  were  with- 
drawn, the  great  majority  of  them  naturally  re- 
turned to  the  Church  of  their  choice — the  Scot- 
tish Church,  with  whose  forms  they  were  familiar. 
Others,  who  were  from  preference  Episcopalians, 
forsook  the  Establishment,  because  they  had  seen 
that  their  prelates  and  clergy  were  hostile  to  the 
cause  of  civil  liberty.  Thus  out  of  the  ruins,  and 
largely  from  the  incongruous  fragments  tempo- 
rarily incorporated  into  the  Episcopal  Church  of 
Ireland,  arose  speedily  the  simpier  fabric  of  Pres- 
byterianism.  The  Presbyterian  element  increased 
rapidly  by  the  return  to  the  country  of  the 
original  Scottish  settlers  who  had  fled  from  Ire- 
land ;  and  being  largely  in  the  majority,  they  at 
once  began  the  re-establishing  of  Presbyterian 
churches  in  Ulster.  In  this  they  were  assisted 
by  the  chaplains  of  the  Scottish  regiments,  who 
were  strongly  attached  to  the  doctrines,  worship 
and  government  of  their  national  Church,  the  cha- 
racteristic features  of  which  were  preserved   in   the 


208  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

Irish.  These  chaplains  were  ordained  ministers 
and  having  received  calls  from  congregations  to 
settle,  they  remained  in  the  country  after  the  re- 
turn home  of  their  regiments.  By  their  prudence 
and  zeal  they  rendered  valuable  aid  in  the  organ- 
ization of  the  Irish  Presbyterian  Church  upon 
the  scriptural  foundation  which  it  has  ever  since 
maintained. 

It  was  by  these  clergymen  that  the  first  regu- 
larly constituted  presbytery  was  held  in  Ireland, 
which  met  at  Carrickfergus,  June  10,  1642.  Five 
ministers  and  four  ruling  elders  were  in  attend- 
ance, the  elders  representing  the  sessions  previously 
constituted  in  four  of  the  regiments.  Correspond- 
ence was  opened  with  Lords  Claneboy  and  Mont- 
gomery, the  commanding  officers  of  two  other 
regiments,  requesting  permission  for  their  chap- 
lains to  attend  the  meetings  of  presbytery.  This 
privilege  was  freely  granted,  and  was  accompanied 
with  the  assurance  that  they  would  support  the 
measures  of  the  presbytery  in  establishing  anew 
the  Protestant  Church  in  Ulster. 

Intelligence  having  gone  abroad  that  a  presby- 
tery had  been  formed,  applications  immediately  be- 
gan to  be  received  from  destitute  parishes,  for  the 
organization  of  churches  and  for  the  supply  of  min- 
isters. These  requests  were  granted  so  far  as  the 
presbytery  had  the  ability  to  comply.  It  was  soon 
found,  however,  that  it  was  impossible  to  provide 
ministers  for  all  the  places  destitute  of  preaching, 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.       209 

and  whore  the  people  were  desirous  of  enjoying  the 
regular  services  of  a  pastor.  A  petition  for  aid 
was  sent  to  the  Scottish  Assembly;  and  in  response 
to  the  request  of  their  Irish  brethren,  it  commis- 
sioned six  of  its  best-qualified  ministers,  giving 
them  instructions  to  proceed  to  Ireland  and  labor 
for  a  period  of  four  months  each,  "  there  to  visit, 
comfort,  instruct  and  encourage  the  scattered  flocks 
of  Christ,  to  employ  themselves  to  the  uttermost, 
with  all  faithfulness  and  singleness  of  heart,  in 
planting  and  watering  according  to  the  direction 
of  Jesus  Christ,  and  according  to  the  doctrine  and 
discipline  of  this  Church  in  all  things." 

In  compliance  with  the  appointment  of  the 
General  Assembly,  Rev.  Messrs.  Blair  and  Ham- 
ilton returned  to  Ireland  in  September,  1642,  and 
were  very  warmly  received  by  the  brethren  of 
the  presbytery.  The  commission  which  they  bore 
from  the  Assembly  was  ordered  to  be  preserved 
among  their  records  and  inserted  in  their  minutes. 
For  three  months  they  itinerated,  performing  mis- 
sionary labor,  organizing  churches  and  preaching 
almost  daily.  Through  the  efforts  of  these  expe- 
rienced ministers,  who  were  intimately  acquainted 
with  the  circumstances  and  needs  of  the  country, 
Presbyterian  ism  rapidly  revived.  The  seed  pre- 
viously sown  now  began  to  spring  up  with  a  vigor 
and  a  fruitage  that  gladdened  the  hearts  of  the 
laborers.  Everywhere  the  people  received  these 
ministers   witli  the  utmost  respect  and  gratitude. 

14 


210  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

Multitudes  who  formerly  belonged  to  the  Episco- 
pal Church  declared  themselves  in  favor  of  the 
Presbyterian,  and  asked  to  be  permitted  to  join 
her  standards  and  partake  of  the  privileges  of  her 
communion.  In  a  brief  period  numerous  Presby- 
terian congregations  were  gathered,  and  many  of 
the  Episcopal  clergy  came  forward  and  united 
with  the  newly-formed  presbytery.  These  were 
received  into  fellowship,  but  not  until  they  had 
openly  professed  repentance  for  their  former  evil 
ways,  and  particularly  for  taking  the  Black  Oath, 
and  for  their  persecutions  of  the  nonconformists. 
In  all  these  proceedings  we  are  to  notice  and 
admire  the  overruling  providence  of  God.  These 
ministers,  restrained  by  Scottish  prelates  from  the 
exercise  of  their  ministry  in  their  native  country, 
removed  to  Ireland,  and  there  introduced  Presbyte- 
rianism.  Banished  from  their  adopted  country,  they 
returned  to  Scotland,  where  they  were  the  chief 
instruments  in  overthrowing  prelacy  and  re-estab- 
lishing the  Presbyterian  Church ;  and  now,  the 
sword  of  the  rebels  having  either  slain  or  driven 
away  the  most  noted  and  violent  of  their  persecu- 
tors, they  are  recalled  to  Ireland  to  accept  the 
acknowledgments  and  repentance  of  the  few  re- 
maining conformists,  and  to  aid  for  the  third 
time  in  reconstructing  the  Presbyterian  Church  on 
the  ruins  of  prelacy.  This  duty  they  discharged 
with  eminent  prudence  and  faithfulness,  and  with 
such  success  that  a  peaceful  and  prosperous  career 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH        211 

now  seemed  open  to  the  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Ireland. 

Freed  from  the  restraints  hitherto  imposed,  and 
encouraged  by  the  policy  now  predominant  in 
England,  the  Presbyterian  ministers,  increased  in 
numbers  by  the  kind  sympathy  and  aid  afforded 
by  the  General  Assembly  of  Scotland,  were  abun- 
dant in  labors  and  successful  in  gathering  con- 
gregations. Few  disturbing  influences  were  felt, 
apart  from  the  turbulence  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Irish,  and  the  local  conflicts  growing  out  of  the 
rebellion,  which  had  been  only  half  suppressed. 
Two  Baptist  preachers  at  Antrim,  where  a  few 
Separatists  still  lived,  attempted  to  spread  their 
peculiar  principles,  but  found  such  small  encour- 
agement that  they  soon  abandoned  their  fruitless 
mission.  Meanwhile,  the  subject  of  ecclesiastical 
reform  had  assumed  such  importance  in  England, 
and  opposition  to  prelacy  had  become  so  general 
and  decided,  that  Parliament  passed  an  ordinance 
convening  an  assembly  of  divines  at  Westminster, 
with  the  hope  of  establishing  uniformity  of  doc- 
trine, worship  and  government  throughout  the 
entire  empire.  Though  they  did  not  accomplish 
all  that  was  hoped,  they  did  succeed  in  framing 
a  confession  of  faith  which  served  as  a  bond 
of  union  to  Presbyterians  throughout  the  three 
kingdoms. 

This  was  followed  by  sending  commissioners  to 
Scotland  to  the  convention  of  Estates  and  the  Gen- 


212  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

eral  Assembly,  for  the  purpose  of  securing  a  civil 
league  between  the  two  kingdoms.  The  Scots 
would  not  assent  unless  it  was  made  also  a  relig- 
ious covenant.  The  result  of  the  negotiations  was 
"The  Solemn  League  and  Covenant/'  which 
was  ordered  to  be  taken  in  England  and  Scotland 
by  all  persons  over  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  under 
pain  of  being  punished  as  the  enemies  to  religion 
and  the  peace  of  the  kingdom. 

As  Ireland  was  included  in  its  provisions,  meas- 
ures were  promptly  taken  to  transmit  it  thither,  and 
to  furnish  the  inhabitants  an  opportunity  to  sub- 
scribe it.  This  they  did  with  becoming  solemnity 
and  deliberation,  when  presented  for  their  approval 
by  the  ministers  who  were  sent  over  for  this  purpose 
from  Scotland.  Its  effects  were  the  same  in  Ul- 
ster as  in  England  and  Scotland.  It  served  to 
make  known  and  to  unite  the  friends  of  civil  and 
religious  liberty,  and  inspired  them  with  fresh 
courage  to  resist  their  enemies.  It  increased  the 
attachment  felt  for  the  cause  of  Presbyterianism, 
and  aided  in  re-establishing  the  Church  where  it 
had  been  overthrown  either  by  prelacy  or  the  re- 
bellion. But,  what  was  of  much  greater  moment, 
the  Covenant  was  the  means  of  so  reviving  true 
religion,  and  of  promoting  the  zeal  and  efficiency 
of  both  ministers  and  people,  that  from  this  pe- 
riod the  Reformation  made  rapid  progress,  and  a 
marked  improvement  of  society  was  everywhere 
discernible. 


HISTORY   OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.       213 

During  succeeding  years,  and  up  to  the  time 
when  the  Rump  Parliament  proceeded  to  the  trial 
and  execution  of  Charles  I.  in  1649,  the  interests 
of  religion  continued  on  the  whole  to  advance, 
notwithstanding  the  ever- recurring  hindrances  aris- 
ing out  of  the  unsettled  state  of  Ireland.  The 
ministers  of  the  presbytery  were  very  zealous  in 
their  efforts  to  repress  immorality  and  vice,  and  to 
establish  throughout  the  province  the  regular  ad- 
ministration of  religious  ordinances  so  far  as  their 
influence  extended.  Their  successive  petitions,  ad- 
dressed to  the  General  Assembly  of  Scotland  for 
more  pastors,  attest  the  increasing  number  of  the 
congregations  and  the  prosperous  condition  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  As  these  ministers  arrived, 
after  a  period  of  trial,  they  were  ordained  and  in- 
stalled over  congregations,  and  sessions  in  each 
church  were  regularly  constituted.  Such  was  the 
growth  of  Presbyterianism,  even  in  these  trou- 
blous times,  that  at  the  beginning  of  the  year  1647 
there  were,  besides  several  chaplains  of  Scottish 
regiments  and  the  occasional  supplies  sent  over 
from  Scotland,  nearly  thirty  ordained  ministers 
permanently  settled  in  Ulster. 

The  presbytery  of  Ulster,  though  surrounded  by 
the  anti-monarchical  party,  did  not  hesitate  to  ex- 
press their  detestation  of  the  murder  of  Charles 
and  the  overthrow  of  lawful  authority  in  England. 
Irish  Presbyterians  sympathized  with  their  brethren 
in  Scotland   in    their   preference  for  a  hereditary 


214  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

and  limited  monarchy,  if  the  proper  securities  of 
civil  and  religious  freedom  could  be  obtained. 
But  they  were  not  disposed  to  resort  to  any  violent 
measures  in  behalf  of  Charles  IT.  The  rapid  and 
decisive  victories  of  Cromwell  soon  led  them  to 
assent,  under  protest,  to  the  government  de  facto  ; 
and  as  they  saw  more  of  the  man,  and  understood 
better  his  motives  and  his  measures,  they  were  less 
inclined  to  place  obstructions  in  the  way  of  his 
government. 

Cromwell's  course  with  respect  to  Ireland  while 
lord-lieutenant,  though  open  to  censure  in  some  par- 
ticulars, was  on  the  whole  quite  judicious.*  The 
ignorant  and  vicious  Romanists  were  made  to 
tremble  at  the  terror  of  his  name.  He  was  ever 
ready  to  listen  to  any  proposal  which  promised  to 
promote  the  spread  of  Protestant  truth,  and  he 
was  careful  to  secure  to  the  clergy  and  the  people 
full  liberty  of  worship.  And  when  once  assured  of 
their  good  and  peaceable  disposition,  he  was  not 
rigorous  in  imposing  any  oath  of  allegiance.  He 
seemed  at  least  to  respect  the  scruples  of  those 
who  preferred  the  recognition  of  Charles  II.  as 
king,  but  were  content  to  live  quietly  under  his 
own    government.      He    had    prosecuted   the    war 

*  "  He  meant  to  rule  Ireland  for  Ireland's  good,  and  all  tes- 
timony agrees  that  Ireland  never  prospered  as  she  prospered  in 
the  three  years  of  the  Protectorate.  Ireland's  interests  were 
not  sacrificed  to  England's  commercial  jealousies.  He  recog- 
nized no  difference  between  the  two  countries." — Froude,  vol.  i., 
p.  137. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH   CHURCH.        ^15 

with  such  vigor  and  with  such  resources,  from 
the  very  day  of  his  landing  in  Ireland,  that  the 
royalists  were  speedily  dispossessed  of  all  their 
garrisons  in  Ulster,  and  the  republicans  became 
masters  of  the  province,  which  they  continued  to 
hold  till  the  Restoration. 

In  connection  with  Cromwell's  army  there  came 
over  large  numbers  from  England  who  were 
strong  adherents  of  Independency.  John  Owen, 
their  most  noted  divine,  accompanied  him  as 
chaplain,  and  preached  regularly  in  Dublin. 
Many  of  these  Independents  were  more  zealous 
than  discreet,  and  relied  mainly  for  the  advance- 
ment of  their  interests  upon  the  patronage  of  the 
government.  Considering  the  condition  of  parties 
in  England  at  this  period,  it  was  very  natural  that 
differences  should  arise  between  some  of  these  new 
comers  and  the  older  clergy.  The  most  of  their 
number,  however,  were  more  devoted  to  the  spread 
of  gospel  truth  than  to  the  triumph  of  party  prin- 
ciples, and  with  all  these  the  Irish  Presbyterian 
ministers  strongly  sympathized  and  were  ready  to 
co-operate.  To  promote  education  and  religion  in 
Ireland  a  bill  was  passed  by  Parliament  to  in- 
crease the  endowments  of  colleges  and  schools,  to 
abolish  the  hierarchy  and  the  use  of  the  Common 
Prayer-book,  and  to  "send  over  forthwith  six  able 
ministers  to  dispense  the  gospel  in  the  city  of 
Dublin."  To  each  of  these  ministers  it  voted  a 
liberal  salary  of  two  hundred  pounds  per  annum, 


216  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

to  be  paid  out  of  the  public  revenue  of  Ireland. 
So  anxious  was  Cromwell  to  secure  an  adequate 
supply  of  ministers  that  he  wrote  to  New  Eng- 
land, offering  most  liberal  inducements  to  such  as 
would  come  over  to  Ulster.  How  many,  if  any, 
were  persuaded  to  come  there  is  no  method  of 
ascertaining,  but  it  is  known  that  a  number  of 
Independent  and  Baptist  preachers  were  admitted 
to  officiate,  to  the  exclusion  of  the  Presbyterian 
clergy,  in  the  few  garrison-towns. 

One  of  the  first  measures  adopted  by  Parlia- 
ment after  the  death  of  Charles  was  the  Engage- 
ment Oath,  requiring  all  persons  to  swear  to  be 
"  faithful  to  the  Commonwealth  of  England  as  now 
established,  without  a  king  or  House  of  Lords." 
To  taking  this  oath  many  of  the  Presbyterian  cler- 
gy were  opposed,  and  so  great  was  their  popularity 
among  the  people,  and  so  fully  did  they  justify 
their  refusal,  that  the  attempt  to  enforce  it  proved 
a  failure  at  the  time.  But  the  opportunity  was 
seized  by  the  sectaries,  who  in  their  councils  urged 
the  government  to  summon  the  recusant  ministers 
and  compel  them  either  to  take  the  oath  or  with- 
draw from  the  country.  The  crowning  of  Charles 
II.  at  Scone  by  the  Scottish  nobles,  January  1, 1651, 
only  increased  the  jealousy  felt  toward  the  Presby- 
terians and  subjected  their  ministers  to  still  severer 
treatment.  The  engagement  was  pressed  with  much 
greater  rigor.  As  a  result,  many  Presbyterian  cler- 
gy were  violently  excluded  from  their  r.ulpits,  and 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.       217 

their  means  of  subsistence  withdrawn ;  and,  by 
a  council  of  war  held  in  March,  1651,  some  of 
them  were  formally  banished  from  the  kingdom. 
Those  who  ventured  to  remain,  being  deprived 
of  their  stipends  and  the  houses  of  worship  in 
which  they  were  accustomed  regularly  to  officiate, 
were  forced  to  preach  in  the  fields  or  in  barns 
and  glens. 

An  event  took  place  at  this  time  which  deserves 
mention,  for  it  shows  the  religious  state  of  the 
country.  While  these  faithful  men  were  endur- 
ing great  privations,  the  Independent  ministers 
invited  them  to  a  conference  at  Antrim  with  the 
professed  purpose  to  arrange  some  plan  of  agree- 
ment or  accommodation  between  them.  This 
invitation  was  accepted  ;  but  when  the  Presbyte- 
rians arrived  at  the  place  of  conference,  they  found, 
to  their  surprise,  that  the  Independent  clergy  de- 
signed to  use  the  occasion  to  hold  a  public  dis- 
cussion before  a  large  assembly  respecting  the 
merits  of  the  two  systems  of  church  government. 
With  very  great  reluctance  the  Presbyterian  min- 
isters engaged  in  the  debate;  and  though  wholly 
unprepared  for  the  discussion,  the  result  proved 
favorable  to  them.  They  were  adjudged  by  the 
public  to  have  had  the  best  of  the  argument,  and 
on  returning  to  their  people  were  left  for  a  period 
unmolested. 

An  unfavorable  change  for  Presbyterians  had 
recently  taken  place  in  the  Board  of  Commission- 


218  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

ers  for  Ireland,  the  majority  of  whom  were  now 
strong  adherents  of  the  Baptists.  Already  a  num- 
ber of  Baptist  preachers  had  come  over  from  Eng- 
land, and,  propagating  their  peculiar  tenets  with 
great  zeal,  had  gathered  several  churches.  Among 
the  most  active  of  these  propagandists  were  Thomas 
Patient,  a  former  chaplain  in  Cromwell's  army, 
now  residing  at  Waterford ;  Christopher  Black- 
wood, who  accompanied  Fleetwood  when  he  came 
to  Ireland  in  1652,  and  who  settled  in  Dublin; 
and  Claudius  Gilbert,  another  of  Fleetwood's  favor- 
ites, who  was  pastor  of  the  church  at  Limerick. 
At  their  instigation,  and  influenced  by  political  in- 
terest, the  new  deputy  and  commissioners  resolved 
to  silence  or  banish  all  the  Presbyterian  ministers 
in  Ulster  who  refused  to  take  the  engagement  oath. 
But  in  this  attempt  they  failed.  The  ministers 
declined  to  subscribe,  while  they  professed  a  dis- 
position to  do  all  they  could  to  promote  peace  and 
order  in  the  kingdom.  The  matter  was  brought 
before  Fleetwood  at  Dublin,  who  referred  it  to  a 
council  of  officers.  From  the  known  character  of 
the  army,  it  might  have  been  supposed  that  all 
measures  of  persecution  would  have  been  abjured  ; 
but  when  the  accused  placed  their  refusal  to  take 
the  oath  on  the  ground  of  conscience,  Allen,  an 
Anabaptist,  replied,  aA  papist  would  and  might 
say  as  much  for  himself,  and  pretend  conscience 
as  well  as  they."  To  this  charge  Adair,  one  of 
their   number,  responded   that   "their   consciences 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.        219 

could  digest  to  kill  Protestant  kings,  but  so  would 
not  ours,  to  which  our  principles  are  contrary." 
This  was  a  home-thrust,  and  silenced  the  council. 
Some  who  were  in  heart  opposed  to  the  execution 
of  the  king  drew  their  hats  down  over  their  faces, 
and  others  were  angry  because  of  the  reflection  on 
their  conduct.  The  ministers  were  not  called  to 
appear  again  before  the  council,  and  were  permitted 
to  leave  Dublin,  though  no  pledge  was  given  them 
that  they  would  in  future  be  secure  from  perse- 
cution. 

The  respite  enjoyed  was  very  brief,  for  in  six 
weeks  from  their  dismissal  by  the  council  the  com- 
missioners sent  a  party  of  soldiers  to  each  minis- 
ter's house,  to  seize  all  papers  and  letters  they  could 
find.  They  had  determined  to  press  the  engage- 
ment upon  all  classes,  beginning  with  their  pastors. 
The  danger  was  imminent,  and  they  only  escaped 
by  the  opportune  arrival  of  the  news  of  the  disso- 
lution of  Parliament  by  Cromwell.  This  intel- 
ligence stayed  the  hands  of  the  commissioners. 
Their  authority  was  now  at  an  end,  and  they  dared 
not  proceed.  Accordingly,  the  ministers  were  per- 
mitted to  return  to  their  homes  with  fair  words, 
and  blessing  God  for  the  unexpected  deliverance 
from  their  troubles. 

Cromwell's  accession  to  supreme  power  brought 
great  relief  to  Nonconformists.  Differences  existed 
among  themselves  which  produced  no  little  fiiction 
in    their   final   adjustment.      But   they   were   freed 


220  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

from  persecution  by  Romanists  and  by  the  High 
Church  party.  Henry  Cromwell  was  sent  over  to 
Ireland  by  the  Protector  to  ascertain  the  condition 
of  affairs,  especially  the  disposition  of  the  army 
toward  the  new  government.  His  visit  did  much 
to  allay  the  violence  of  parties  and  restore  peace 
to  the  country.  The  suspicions  which  Cromwell 
at  first  entertained  respecting  the  loyalty  of  the 
Presbyterian  ministers  were  allayed,  and  they 
were  permitted  to  pursue  their  proper  calling  with- 
out any  serious  restraints.  Under  their  culture  the 
churches  began  to  revive  and  new  ones  were  estab- 
lished, and  during  the  Protectorate  of  Cromwell 
Presbyterian isni  in  Ireland  enjoyed  almost  unin- 
terrupted prosperity.  Many  of  those  ministers 
who  had  fled  to  Scotland  again  returned.  The 
differences  which  so  divided  their  brethren  in  the 
Church  of  Scotland  were  not  permitted  to  enter 
the  Irish  Church  and  work  a  division  in  it.  It 
required,  however,  the  utmost  prudence  and  vigi- 
lance to  guard  the  Church  against  the  ruinous 
schism,  since  there  was  constant  danger  that  the 
causes  of  dissension  would  be  introduced  by  the 
return  of  the  exiled  ministers  and  the  accession 
of  new  men  from  Scotland.  Great  caution  was 
observed  in  receiving  candidates  for  the  ministry. 
If  from  abroad,  they  were  required  to  produce  tes- 
timonials as  to  their  piety,  their  literary  attain- 
ments and  their  theological  views,  and  none  were 
received  until  they  could  furnish  ample  proofs  of 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH       221 

their  qualifications  for  the  sacred  office.  Accepted 
candidates  were  put  for  a  time  on  special  trial,  and 
appointed  to  preach  not  only  in  the  congregations 
which  wished  to  call  them,  but  in  neighboring  ones 
also,  so  that  ministers  and  people  might  have  an 
opportunity  to  judge  of  their  gifts.  If  they  passed 
this  scrutiny,  approving  themselves  good  and  faith- 
ful preachers  of  the  word,  the  presbytery  gave  its 
assent  to  their  settlement,  and  proceeded  to  ordain 
and  install  them  over  the  parish. 

These  wise  and  faithful  measures  were  successful 
not  only  in  preserving  harmony  in  the  presbytery, 
but  in  promoting  the  growth  and  spirituality  of 
its  churches.  The  gospel  was  preached  in  places 
which  it  had  never  reached  before,  and  churches 
were  multiplied  and  very  generally  had  the  ser- 
vices of  a  regular  pastor.  While  in  1653  the  num- 
ber of  ministers  was  only  twenty-four,  in  a  few 
years  it  reached  eighty.  The  presbytery,  having 
become  too  large  to  meet  conveniently  in  one  place, 
and  extending  over  too  large  a  district  of  country 
to  provide  properly  for  destitute  places  and  main- 
tain strict  discipline  in  its  churches,  was  divided  so 
as  to  compose  "five  meetings."  The  order  of  the 
Church  of  Scotland,  as  heretofore,  was  carefully 
observed.  Though  these  "meetings"  were  not 
strictly  presbyteries  acting  on  their  own  author- 
ity, but  by  commission,  yet  they  performed  most 
of  the  duties  of  such  bodies,  visiting  congrega- 
tions, giving   advice   to  sessions   and   seeing  that 


222  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

ministers,  elders  and  congregations  performed  their 
respective  duties.  Thus  they  greatly  facilitated 
the  work  of  the  presbytery,  and  helped  to  main- 
tain a  proper  oversight  of  the  wide  and  rapidly 
extending  field.  It  was  during  this  period  of 
comparative  tranquillity,  extending  to  the  death 
of  the  Protector,  September  3,  1658,  that  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  of  Ireland  was  established  on  a 
permanent  foundation. 

Richard  Cromwell,  who  succeeded  his  father  in 
the  Protectorate,  soon  proved  himself  wholly  in- 
capable of  holding  the  reins  of  government,  and 
Charles  II.  was  invited  to  resume  the  crown  as 
his  hereditary  right.  But  a  fatal  mistake  was 
made  when  the  king  was  invested  with  power 
without  assigning  proper  limits  to  the  royal  pre- 
rogative, and  thus  protecting  the  freedom  of  his 
subjects.  Unfettered  by  any  conditions,  Charles 
II.  soon  exhibited  the  same  disposition  to  exercise 
arbitrary  authority  which  his  father  had  attempted, 
and  with  like  results. 

Notwithstanding  his  fair  promises  to  Presbyte- 
rians, who,  having  so  steadily  refused  to  take  the 
engagement  oath,  were  surely  entitled  to  his  favor, 
it  was  soon  apparent  that  they  were  to  expect  noth- 
ing but  severity  at  his  hands.  Everything  indi- 
cated the  approach  of  a  season  of  suffering  and 
persecution.  In  the  face  of  all  his  solemn  decla- 
rations, he  determined  to  replace  the  Episcopal 
ChuP3h  on  its  former   basis,  and  only  desired  to 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.       223 

quiet  all  opposition  until  he  could  carry  out  his 
resolution.  The  effects  of  his  policy  were  soon 
felt  in  Ulster,  when  Bramhall  and  Leslie,  who 
still  survived,  were  returned  to  their  vacant  sees 
and  began  to  evince  all  the  bitterness  of  their  old 
intolerance.  Other  bishops  were  appointed,  and 
measures  adopted  for  crushing  out  the  very  exist- 
ence of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  At  the  instiga- 
tion of  the  bishops,  the  lords-justices  issued  a  proc- 
lamation forbidding  all  unlawful  assemblies  and 
directing  the  sheriffs  to  prevent  or  disperse  them. 
The  object  was  to  prevent  the  meeting  not  only  of 
presbyteries,  but  also  of  congregations.  Among 
the  very  foremost  to  incite  the  persecution  of  the 
Presbyterians,  were  those  members  of  the  court  who 
had  formerly  renounced  their  allegiance  to  Charles 
I.  and  held  office  under  Cromwell  and  his  son 
Richard.  These  mercenary  men  were  now  the 
most  active  in  denouncing,  as  disloyal  and  unwor- 
thy of  toleration,  those  same  ministers  whom  they 
had  before  persecuted  for  their  loyalty  and  attach- 
ment to  monarchy,  when  they  themselves  were  the 
supporters  of  the  usurper  Cromwell. 

While  the  bishops  were  preparing  to  put  in  force 
the  proclamation  of  the  lords-justices,  the  Presby- 
terian ministers  held  a  meeting,  and  sent  four  of 
their  number  from  their  several  presbyteries  to 
Dublin,  to  remind  the  justices  of  the  king's  prom- 
ises to  them,  and  to  remonstrate  against  the  cruel 
measures    contemplated    to   be   employed.      They 


224  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

reminded  them  also  of  their  loyalty  and  suffer- 
ings under  the  Pretender,  their  present  loyalty 
to  Charles  II.,  which  was  shown  by  the  readiness 
with  which  they  had  welcomed  him  back  to  his 
throne,  and  their  past  peaceable  spirit  and  their 
future  resolution  to  remain  loyal  and  dutiful  sub- 
jects. But  it  was  all  to  no  purpose.  The  reply 
returned  to  the  petition  from  the  members  of  the 
presbyteries  requesting  liberty  to  exercise  their 
ministry  in  their  respective  parishes,  as  they  had 
formerly  done,  clearly  indicated  that  nothing  less 
than  entire  conformity  to  prelacy  was  intended  by 
the  council,  instigated,  as  they  were,  by  such  bish- 
ops as  Bramhall  and  Leslie.  In  their  answer  they 
said,  "  We  neither  could  nor  would  allow  any 
discipline  to  be  exercised  in  church  affairs  but 
what  was  warranted  and  commanded  by  the  laws 
of  the  land,"  and  they  told  the  ministers  that 
"they  were  punishable  for  having  exercised  any 
other." 

Even  the  celebrated  Jeremy  Taylor,  bishop  of 
Down  and  Connor,  exhibited  the  same  exclusive 
and  intolerant  spirit.  The  author  of  the  elo- 
quent work  entitled  Liberty  of  Prophesying  tar- 
nished his  fair  reputation  by  repudiating  his 
avowed  principles.  In  his  conference  with  the 
nonconformist  clergy  he  treated  them  sharply,  and 
even  rudely ;  and  in  reply  to  the  conscientious 
scruples  which  they  had  assigned  for  not  appear- 
ing at  his  visitation  services,  he  declared  that"  a 


Ill  STORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.        225 

Jew  or  a  Quaker  would  say  so  much  for  his  opin- 
ions." The  Presbyterian  ministers,  though  griev- 
ously disappointed  with  their  reception,  returned 
to  their  congregations  resolved  to  breast  as  best 
they  could  the  coming  storm.  Nor  had  they  long 
to  wait;  for  this  bishop  shortly  afterward,  in  a 
single  day,  declared  thirty-six  of  their  churches 
vacant,  and  sent  curates  to  take  possession  of  part 
of  them,  while  in  others  the  regular  pastors  were 
violently  arrested  as  they  were  entering  their 
pulpits. 

The  situation  of  these  ministers  was  peculiarly 
distressing.  They  were  not  only  excluded  from 
their  pulpits  and  deprived  of  their  means  of  liv- 
ing, but  were  forbidden,  under  heavy  penalties,  to 
preach,  baptize  or  publicly  exhort  among  their 
people.  These  privations,  however,  they  willingly 
endured  rather  than  violate  their  consciences  and 
submit  to  a  form  of  government  and  worship 
which  they  considered  unscriptural. 

Other  prelates  of  the  Established  Church  speed- 
ily followed  the  example  set  by  Jeremy  Taylor 
— "the  impersonation  and  special  jewel  of  An- 
glicanism," as  Froude  calls  him — so  that  in  Ul- 
ster alone  sixty-one  Presbyterian  ministers  were 
deposed  from  the  ministry  and  ejected  from  their 
charges.  Of  these,  sixteen  were  of  the  presbytery 
of  Down,  fourteen  of  Antrim,  ten  of  Route,  eight 
of  Tyrone  and  thirteen  of  Lagan. 

Of  the  Act  of  Uniformity,  which   was  thus  en- 

15 


226  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

forced,  Mr.  Froude  says :  "  To  insist  that  none 
should  officiate  who  had  not  been  ordained  by  a 
bishop  was  to  deprive  two-thirds  of  the  Protest- 
ant inhabitants  of  the  only  religions  ministrations 
which  they  would  accept,  and  to  force  on  them 
the  alternative  of  exile  or  submission  to  a  ritual 
which  they  abhorred  as  much  as  popery,  while,  to 
enhance  the  absurdity,  there  were  not  probably  a 
hundred  episcopal ly  ordained  clergy  in  the  whole 
island.  Yet  this  was  what  the  bishops  deliber- 
ately thought  it  wise  to  do.  .  .  .  Every  clergy- 
man had  to  subscribe  a  declaration  that  a  subject, 
under  no  pretence,  might  bear  arms  against  the 
king,  and  that  the  oath  to  the  League  and  Cove- 
nant was  illegal  and  impious.  .  .  .  Nonconform- 
ists became  at  once  the  objects  of  an  unrelenting 
and  unscrupulous  persecution." 

Only  seven  out  of  nearly  seventy  clergymen 
conformed  to  prelacy.  The  trials  and  hardships 
of  the  ejected  ministers,  though  terrible,  were 
heroically  endured.  "  They  set  an  example,"  says 
the  historian,  "of  fortitude  and  integrity  which 
prepared  and  encouraged  their  brethren  in  the  sis- 
ter-kingdoms to  act  with  similar  magnanimity, 
for  they  enjoyed  the  painful  though  honorable  pre- 
eminence of  being  the  first  to  suffer  in  the  three 
kingdoms,  and  are  therefore  eminently  entitled  to 
the  admiration  and  gratitude  of  posterity."  Had 
they  proved  faithless  in  their  day  of  trial,  Pres- 
byterian ism  in   Ireland   would   have  scarcely  sur- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.       227 

vived  the  subsequent  persecutions  of  the  prelates 
and  the  disastrous  wars  of  the  Revolution. 

After  an  interval  of  nearly  twenty  years  the 
Irish  Parliament  assembled  in  1661.  In  the 
mean  time,  the  prelatical  party  had  acquired  such 
ascendency  that  there  was  but  a  single  member  in 
the  House  of  Lords,  Lord  Massareene,  who  sym- 
pathized with  the  persecuted  Presbyterians.  In 
the  Commons  also  they  had  but  few  favorable  to 
their  interests,  so  strongly  did  the  tide  run  in 
favor  of  prelacy.  Many  were  anxious  to  remove 
all  suspicion  of  their  new-born  loyalty  by  de- 
nouncing and  punishing  those  who  declined  to 
conform,  and  therefore  were  ready  to  support  the 
measures  of  the  bishops  and  to  enable  them  to  en- 
act just  such  laws  as  they  desired.  Parliament 
passed  an  act  for  burning  the  Solemn  League  and 
Covenant,  ordering  it  to  be  burned  in  all  cities 
and  towns  by  the  common  hangman,  and  requir- 
ing the  chief  magistrate  of  the  place  to  be  present 
and  see  the  order  executed.  It  was  further  de- 
clared "  that  whosoever  shall  by  word  or  deed,  by 
sign  or  writing,  defend  or  justify  the  said  treason- 
able Covenant,  shall  be  esteemed  as  an  enemy  to  His 
Sacred  Majesty,  and  to  the  peace  and  tranquillity 
of  his  Church  and  kingdom."  In  all  cities  and 
towns  throughout  the  kingdom  the  Covenant  was 
burned,  the  magistrates  directing  and  witnessing 
the  proceedings. 

All   hope  of  relief  seemed   to   have  fled.      No 


228  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

matter  how  loyal  and  well  disposed  their  past  his- 
tory showed  them  to  have  been,  nor  what  were 
their  conscientious  scruples  to  prelacy,  there  was 
not  the  least  leniency  extended  to  any  of  their 
number.  The  wickedness  and  obduracy  of  heart 
of  their  fellow-men  made  prayer  their  only  re- 
source, and  "the  ministers  in  this  juncture  gave 
themselves  especially  to  prayer  and  did  cry  to 
God  for  help."  Though  forbidden  the  public  ex- 
ercise of  their  ministry,  they  deemed  it  to  be  their 
duty  to  remain  with  their  people,  and  to  embrace 
such  opportunities  as  they  had  to  converse  with  them 
in  their  homes,  and  to  instruct  them  in  the  Word  as 
they  might  assemble  in  small  private  companies. 

During  the  brief  administration  of  the  duke 
of  Ormond  the  persecution  of  Presbyterians  was 
somewhat  relaxed.  Through  the  influence  of 
their  noble  friend,  Lord  Massareene,  the  duke  was 
led  to  sympathize  with  them  for  their  previous  suf- 
ferings in  behalf  of  the  king,  and  was  disposed  to 
be  lenient  toward  them  so  long  as  they  lived  peace- 
ably and  did  nothing  to  excite  the  jealousy  of  the 
bishops.  Though  denied  the  right  of  preaching 
in  public,  they  were  not  molested  in  the  discharge 
of  their  more  private  duties  in  their  respective 
parishes.  But  this  condition  of  peace  and  free- 
dom was  ere  long  disturbed  by  a  secret  conspiracy 
which  was  formed  by  a  few  restless  spirits,  chiefly 
those  who  had  been  attached  to  the  Pretender's 
party,   and   with   whom   one  or  two   ministers  in 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.       229 

Ulster  chanced  to  be  very  remotely  connected. 
This  is  known  in  history  as  Blood's  Plot.  Not- 
withstanding the  conspirators  met  with  no  encour- 
agement from  the  Presbyterians  of  the  north,  with 
the  single  exception  noted  above,  yet  some  of  the 
ministers  were  arrested  on  mere  suspicion,  and 
many  more  exposed  to  great  inconvenience  and 
suffering.  The  apprehension  of  danger  was  so 
great  that  orders  were  issued  to  disarm  all  the 
Scotch  in  the  country,  which  was  done  in  the  most 
summary  manner.  Before  the  disorder  caused  by 
the  conspiracy  had  subsided,  the  jealousy  and  ani- 
mosity excited  against  the  ministry  were  so  great 
that  the  larger  part  of  them  were  obliged  to  re- 
turn to  Scotland,  or  retire  into  some  obscure  part 
of  the  country.  But  when  the  most  rigid  scru- 
tiny had  failed  to  identify  them  with  the  plot,  and 
had  shown  that  they  had  been  quiet  and  peaceable 
citizens,  the  duke  was  induced  to  grant  them  cer- 
tain indulgences,  and  to  relax  somewhat  the  severity 
of  the  penal  statutes  respecting  conformity  to  Epis- 
copacy. Bramhall  dying  at  this  time,  his  succes- 
sor, a  man  of  mild  spirit,  wishing  to  ingratiate  him- 
self with  the  people,  continued  to  be  lenient  in  his 
treatment,  and  the  lords-justices,  when  not  insti- 
gated by  the  prelates,  were  not  inclined  to  trouble 
the  people  for  nonconformity. 

The  little  liberty  granted  them  they  received 
with  thankfulness  and  used  with  prudence.  By 
degrees  those  who  had  remained  began  to  exercise 


230  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

their  ministry  in  their  own  congregations.  Seeing 
that  their  brethren  were  not  molested,  some  of  those 
banished  to  Scotland  again  returned  to  their  for- 
mer parishes  and  resumed  their  labors.  Growing 
bolder  by  reason  of  the  indifference  of  the  civil 
rulers,  they  began  to  preach  more  publicly  in  barns 
and  other  places,  administering  the  sacrament  to 
the  people  at  night,  until  finally,  in  1668,  they 
ventured  to  build  "  preaching-houses."  Their 
monthly  meetings  also  were  revived.  The  mag- 
istrates, convinced  of  their  loyalty  and  peaceable- 
ness,  grew  less  jealous  of  them.  Their  old  con- 
gregations, observing  and  admiring  their  constancy 
and  fidelity  during  their  severe  trials,  eagerly  gath- 
ered around  them  and  gladly  listened  to  the  gospel. 
As  early  as  the  beginning  of  the  year  1669  the 
church  in  Ulster,  by  almost  imperceptible  advances, 
had  attained  a  considerable  degree  of  freedom. 
Presbyteries  were  again  organized,  though,  as  a 
precautionary  measure,  they  were  held  in  private 
houses  and  without  the  attendance  of  ruling  el- 
ders. Parishes  were  supplied,  as  far  as  possible, 
with  regular  preaching,  and  the  ordinances  of  the 
gospel  were  administered  publicly  to  large  congre- 
gations. New  buildings  were  erected  to  accommo- 
date the  crowds  of  people  who  flocked  to  hear  their 
old  pastors,  and  sessions  and  presbyteries  once  more 
began  to  exercise  discipline  on  offenders,  and  finally, 
with  much  caution,  the  presbyteries  again  ventured 
to  license  and  ordain  candidates  for  the  ministry. 


HISTORY   OF  Till'.   IRISH  CHURCH.       ^31 

The  administration  of  Lord  Robarte,  the  succes- 
sor of  the  duke  of  Onnond  as  lord-lieutenant  of 
Ireland,  was,  on  the  whole,  favorable  to  the  Non- 
conformists. While  a  strict  Episcopalian  himself, 
he  was  indisposed  to  press  the  statutes  passed  in 
the  interests  of  the  bishops,  and  used  his  influence, 
moreover,  to  restrain  them  in  their  intolerant  meas- 
ures. The  chancellor  urged  him  to  suppress  the 
meetings  of  Nonconformists  in  Dublin,  but  he  told 
him  that  "  if  they  were  not  papists,  and  were  peace- 
ble  and  civil,  he  had  no  commission  to  meddle  with 
them."  This  leniency  toward  Presbyterians,  en- 
couraging them  to  use  the  little  liberty  they  had 
enjoyed  under  the  former  administration,  joined 
with  his  enforcing  strict  discipline  upon  the  officers 
of  the  army  and  his  discountenancing  all  forms 
of  vice,  rendered  Lord  Robarts'  government  un- 
popular with  the  dominant  party,  and  led  to  his 
early  return  to  England. 

Even  during  this  period,  while  the  ministers 
were  left  to  exercise  their  ministry  for  the  most 
part  without  disturbance,  they  had  no  permanent 
security,  for  their  freedom  depended  on  the  caprice 
of  the  bishops  and  the  use  they  made  of  the  almost 
unlimited  power  committed  to  them.  One  of  their 
number,  Bishop  Leslie,  envying  the  limited  liberty 
and  ease  which  these  faithful  pastors  now  enjoyed, 
imprisoned  four  of  them  for  a  period  of  six  years. 
Another  bishop  would  have  excommunicated  twelve 
of  them  if  he  had  not  been  restrained  by  a  Letter 


232  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

from  the  archbishop,  who  was  prevailed  upon  by 
Sir  Arthur  Forbes,  an  enlightened  statesman  and 
a  friend  of  Presbyterians,  to  interpose  and  prevent 
the  persecution.  This  seasonable  interposition,  at 
a  time  when  conventicles  both  in  England  and 
Scotland  were  violently  suppressed,  was  of  great 
service  to  the  Irish  Church.  It  put  a  check  upon 
the  persecuting  policy  of  the  bishops  and  inspired 
the  ministers  with  confidence  and  hope.  Shortly 
after  this,  measures  were  taken  by  the  lords-justices 
whereby  the  four  ministers  who  had  been  confined 
for  refusing  to  conform  were  released,  and  Ireland 
for  a  brief  period  became  a  refuge  for  the  more 
severely  oppressed  brethren  of  the  sister-kingdoms. 
The  minor  grievances  which  the  Presbyterians 
still  suffered  did  not  seriously  impede  the  revival 
of  religious  worship  and  discipline,  so  that  the 
Irish  Church  for  several  years  had  a  steady  growth. 
Occasional  differences  which  sprung  up  in  its  eccle- 
siastical affairs  were  speedily  settled,  and  the  dis- 
creet and  loyal  conduct  of  the  ministry  won  the 
favor  of  the  king.  Such  representations  were  made 
at  court  of  their  orderly  lives,  and  of  their  suffer- 
ings on  account  of  poverty,  that  Charles  resolved 
to  give  them  an  expression  of  his  approbation. 
Sending  for  Sir  Arthur  Forbes,  their  friend  and 
protector,  he  informed  him  that  it  was  his  wish 
that  twelve  hundred  j>ounds  should  be  taken  from 
the  revenue  of  Ireland  and  given  to  those  worthy 
ministers  whose  congregations  were  unable  to  pro- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.        2:33 

vide  them  a  comfortable  subsistence.  Such  was 
the  destitution  of  most  of  them,  and  so  great  were 
the  necessities  of  the  widows  and  orphans  of  those 
who  had  been  removed  by  death,  that  they  were 
frequently  in  great  straits  both  for  food  and  cloth- 
ing. They  therefore  accepted  with  grateful  feel- 
ings the  king's  contribution  to  their  support.  Al- 
though the  pension  only  amounted  to  six  hundred 
pounds* — and  this  was  not  paid  regularly — it 
proved  a  timely  aid  to  these  ministers,  not  only  re- 
lieving their  temporal  wants,  but  stimulating  them 
to  greater  labors  for  the  spiritual  improvement  of 
their  congregations,  and  to  supply  destitute  places 
with  the  ordinances  of  religion.  They  also  en- 
couraged the  organization  of  schools  and  estab- 
lished a  seminary  of  theology  at  Antrim,  and  had 
the  good  fortune  to  secure  as  the  president  of  the 
same  the  celebrated  John  Howe,  Lord  Massareene's 
chaplain.  For  several  years  he  labored  in  this  ex- 
tended sphere  of  usefulness,  for  which  he  was  so 
eminently  fitted,  impressing  his  large  views  and 
earnest,  devoted  spirit  upon  the  future  ministry 
of  the  Church. 

The  unfortunate  enterprise  of  the  persecuted 
Presbyterians  of  Scotland,  which  terminated  in 
the  disastrous  battle  of  Bothwell  Bridge,  June  22, 
1679,  had  an  unfavorable  effect  upon  their  breth- 
ren in  Ireland.     Ormond,  who  had  again  sueceed- 

*  After  examination  the  secretary  of  the  revenue  reported 
that  only  ssix  hundred  pounds  were  available  for  this  object. 


234  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

ed  to  the  office  of  lord-lieutenant,  was  alarmed  at 
the  news  of  the  insurrection,  and  took  measures  to 
stop  all  communication  between  the  two  kingdoms. 
Exaggerated  reports  were  spread  by  their  enemies 
to  their  prejudice;  and  though  the  Presbyterians 
of  Ulster  endeavored  to  remove  these  unfounded 
suspicions  by  presenting  an  address  to  Ormond, 
vindicating  themselves  from  all  the  aspersions  of 
want  of  loyalty,  yet  they  only  in  part  allayed  his 
apprehensions.  He  pressed  the  oath  of  supremacy 
anew,  and  with  great  rigor.  The  soldiers  of  La- 
gan, who  were  mostly  Presbyterians,  refused  to 
take  it,  except  with  certain  explanations.  These 
were  not  admitted.  The  magistrates  believing 
that  they  were  influenced  in  their  conduct  by 
their  ministers,  some  of  the  latter  were  summon- 
ed before  them  and  examined,  and  subsequently 
brought  before  the  court  at  Dublin  and  indicted 
for  holding  a  fast  which  was  declared  illegal. 
A  packed  jury  of  High  Churchmen  found  them 
guilty,  sentenced  them  to  pay  a  fine  of  twenty 
pounds  each,  and  required  them  to  subscribe  an 
engagement  not  to  offend  in  this  way  again.  Re- 
fusing to  comply  with  this,  they  were  imprisoned. 

This  action  of  the  government  encouraged  the 
prelates  to  renew  their  persecution  of  the  Noncon- 
formists. The  Presbyterian  meeting-houses  were 
closed  and  the  public  exercise  of  their  worship 
was  interdicted.  Penalties  for  recusancy  were  in- 
flicted with  great  severity  both  upon  ministers  and 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH       235 

people.  For  the  two  following  years  harassing 
restrictions  were  continued.  A  servile  compliance 
with  the  will  of  the  court  was  demanded,  and  to  be 
a  friend  of  civil  or  religious  freedom  was  sufficient 
to  incur  the  suspicion  and  hatred  of  those  in  power. 
So  deplorable  was  the  condition  of  the  Presbyte- 
rians in  the  counties  of  Derry  and  Donegal  in  the 
year  1684  that  the  greater  number  of  ministers 
belonging  to  the  presbytery  of  Lagan  intimated 
to  the  other  presbyteries  their  intention  of  remov- 
ing to  America,  whither  some  of  them  had  been 
already  invited.  They  were  brought  to  this  deter- 
mination "  because  of  persecution  and  general  pov- 
erty abounding  in  those  parts,  and  on  account  of 
their  straits  and  little  or  no  access  to  their  minis- 
try." From  this  purpose  they  were  dissuaded  by 
the  death  of  Charles  II.  in  the  following  year  and 
the  appointment  of  Lord  Granard  as  one  of  the 
lords  justices.  These  events  led  to  a  mitigation  of 
the  pressing  evils  under  which  they  then  suffered. 

At  first  no  very  manifest  change  took  place  in 
Irish  affairs  on  the  accession  of  James  II.  (1685) 
to  the  throne.  But  it  was  not  long  before  it  was 
clear  that  a  change  of  policy  in  favor  of  Roman- 
ists had  been  resolved  upon  by  the  king,  and  the 
successive  steps  taken  to  effect  his  designs  rendered 
clear  his  ultimate  purpose  to  overthrow  Protest- 
antism in  Ireland.  Any  doubt  on  this  point  has 
long  since  been  removed  by  the  production  of  a 
letter   written   by  the  king   himself  to  the   Pope, 


236  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

in  which  he  avowed  his  intention.  In  the  prose- 
cution of  this  scheme  Lord  Clarendon  was  recalled 
and  the  notorious  Tyrconnel  was  sworn  into  office 
as  lord-deputy.  His  appointment  was  the  most 
objectionable  to  the  Protestants  that  possibly  could 
have  been  made.  He  was  the  most  obnoxious  Ro- 
manist in  the  empire,  violent,  bigoted,  and  ready 
to  disregard  law  and  justice  when  they  inter- 
fered with  the  royal  projects  to  establish  the 
papal  Church.  "Chancellor  Porter  was  dismissed 
and  his  office  given  to  Sir  Alexander  Fitton, 
who  had  been  convicted  and  imprisoned  for  for- 
gery."* Tyrconnel's  first  step  was  to  remodel 
the  army.  Protestant  officers  were  weeded  out 
and  their  places  filled  exclusively  with  Roman 
Catholics,  while  priests  were  advanced  to  mili- 
tary chaplaincies.  Having  succeeded  in  placing 
the  army  of  the  State  under  the  control  of  Ro- 
manists, his  next  effort  was  to  transfer  to  the 
same  party  the  civil  authority  of  the  kingdom 
Three  vacant  bishoprics  were  virtually  suppressed 
and  their  revenues  ordered  to  be  paid  into  the 
treasury  to  create  a  fund  for  the  ultimate  endow- 
ment of  the  Catholic  hierarchy.  All  controver- 
sial discourses  against  the  tenets  of  popery  were 
forbidden.  Three  irreproachable  judges  were  su- 
perseded in  the  most  summary  manner,  and  their 
places  filled  with  Roman  Catholic  lawyers.  In 
defiance  of  the  law,  Romanists  were  admitted  mem- 
*  Harris'  Life  of  William  II. 


HISTORT  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.       237 

hers  of  the  privy-council  and  of  corporations,  and 
allowed  to  act  as  magistrates  and  sheriffs  without 
taking  the  oath  prescribed  by  Parliament.  Of 
the  high  sheriffs  but  one  was  a  Protestant,  and  he 
owed  his  appointment  to  a  mistake.  The  corpo- 
rate rights  of  towns  and  cities  were  disregarded  with 
impunity.  Where  intimidation  or  flattery  could 
not  induce  them  to  surrender  their  charters,  these 
were  wrested  from  them  by  process  of  law,  the  ser- 
vile judges  promptly  obeying  the  wishes  of  their 
superiors  in  authority.  Charters  were  recalled  and 
new  corporations  formed,  and  their  control  vested 
in  the  hands  of  the  Romanist  party.  Strahane. 
Deny,  Newry,  Armagh  and  Belfast  were  in  this 
way  subjected  to  their  power. 

The  papal  clergy  were  exultant  over  these 
changes.  Liberal  pensions  were  granted  their 
prelates  out  of  the  revenues  of  the  vacant  episco- 
pal sees,  and  in  some  instances  priests  appropri- 
ated the  tithes  of  the  legal  incumbents  of  parishes 
to  their  own  use.  To  all  Protestants  it  was  a 
period  of  gloom  and  depression,  for  all  these  acts 
of  the  court  wrere  especially  detrimental  to  them. 
While  done  under  the  guise  of  toleration,  their 
evident  design  was  to  give  the  Roman  Catholic 
party  complete  ascendency,  knowing  that  as  soon 
as  it  acquired  the  necessary  power  it  would  use  it 
to  the  prejudice  of  Protestantism.  The  popular 
feeling,  moreover,  was  continually  aggravated  by 
new  acts  of  usurpation    in   the  interest   of  Rome, 


238  SCOTCH  A  XD  JIirSH  SEEDS. 

so  that  the  very  word  toleration  became  offensive 
to  those  who  had  labored  and  prayed  for  liberty 
of  conscience  and  worship. 

But  notwithstanding  the  insidious  designs  of 
James  and  the  illegal  nature  of  his  declaration  in 
April,  1687,  suspending  "the  execution  of  all  the 
penal  laws  for  religious  offences  and  prohibiting 
the  imposition  of  religious  tests  as  qualifications 
for  office,"  the  Presbyterians  were  for  a  time  re- 
lieved from  persecution.  Nor  did  they  fail  to  take 
advantage  of  the  leniency  which  they  now  shared 
in  common  with  Romanists.  Places  of  worship 
which  had  been  shut  for  years  were  once  more 
opened.  Stated  meetings  of  presbytery  were  pub- 
licly held,  and  ruling  elders  again  took  their  seats 
as  members.  The  fears  of  the  Episcopalians  for 
their  own  Church  induced  them  rather  to  court 
the  assistance  of  Nonconformists  than  to  inflict 
severities  upon  them. 

Thus  for  a  brief  period  religious  freedom  was 
enjoyed.  But  it  rested  on  a  very  precarious  and 
unconstitutional  basis.  It  depended  upon  the  ille- 
gal declaration  of  a  king  obnoxious  to  and  dis- 
trusted equally  by  both  Presbyterians  and  Epis- 
copalians, while  it  encouraged  those  whom  they 
had  every  reason  to  regard  as  their  common  enemy. 
It  was  not  long  before  the  measures  of  the  court 
began  to  work  disaster  in  Ireland.  Through  the 
solicitations  of  Tyrconnel  and  his  agents,  some  of 
the  nonconformist  bodies  were  prevailed  upon  to 


HISTORY   OF   THE  IRISH  CHURCH.       239 

forward  addresses  to  the  king,  thanking  him  for 
the  indulgence.  The  greater  part  of  the  Presby- 
terians, however,  felt  that  the  declaration  was  an 
unwarrantable  exercise  of  the  royal  prerogative, 
and  cither  declined  signing  such  addresses  or  were 
careful  to  qualify  their  language  so  as  not  even  by  in- 
ference to  approve  of  the  illegal  measure.  Though 
peace  was  restored,  yet  there  wrere  many  things  that 
indicated  that  it  could  not  be  lasting,  and  that  the 
present  calm  would  soon  be  followed  by  a  storm. 
A  despotic  and  bigoted  monarch  was  employing 
all  the  means  at  his  command  to  destroy  the  con- 
stitutional rights  of  the  people,  and  all  of  the  lat- 
ter, with  the  exception  of  the  favored  Romanists, 
were  now  of  one  mind  in  their  resistance  to  arbi- 
trary power.  Yet  they  could  do  but  little  more 
than  patiently  observe  the  progress  of  events. 

An  incident  occurred,  December  3,  1688,  which 
roused  the  Protestants  to  a  sense  of  their  immi- 
nent danger  and  constrained  them  to  resort  to 
active  measures  for  their  own  protection.  An 
anonymous  letter  addressed  to  the  earl  of  Mount- 
Alexander  was  found  in  the  streets  of  Comber, 
warning  him  that  a  general  massacre  of  the  Prot- 
estants by  the  Irish  was  to  take  place  on  the  fol- 
lowing Sunday.  Letters  of  similar  purport  wrere 
addressed  to  others,  and  scattered  through  the 
neighboring  towns.  Fearful  apprehensions  were 
everywhere  excited  lest  the  horrid  scenes  which 
took   place  in   1641  were  about  to  be  again   wit- 


240  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

nessed.  The  intelligence  of  the  expected  massacre 
was  quickly  conveyed  to  all  parts  of  the  kingdom, 
and  Protestants  armed  themselves  and  stood  pre- 
pared for  any  emergency.  Protestant  associations 
were  formed  in  the  several  counties,  which  elected 
councils  of  war  and  a  commander-in-chief  for  each 
county.  A  general  council  of  union  was  appointed, 
composed  of  members  from  all  the  associations  of 
Ulster.  These  county  councils  collected  voluntary 
contributions  for  their  defence  and  nominated  offi- 
cers to  command  the  organized  regiments,  and  the 
Presbyterian  ministers  exerted  their  influence  to  in- 
duce their  people  to  enrol  themselves  in  the  ranks. 
Fortunately,  no  massacre  was  attempted,  but  the 
alarm  had  the  good  eifect  to  put  the  Protestants  on 
their  guard,  and  it  led  them  to  adopt  measures 
which  were  of  the  greatest  importance  in  their 
bearing  upon  the  interests  of  the  three  kingdoms. 
While  the  Nonconformists  were  adopting  these 
precautions  for  their  own  security,  Tyrconnel  was 
rapidly  strengthening  his  army  by  forced  levies 
of  Romanists,  who  subsisted  mainly  by  plundering 
the  defenceless  inhabitants.  Detachments  were 
sent  to  seize  the  principal  fortified  towns  and  cas- 
tles before  the  Protestants  were  prepared  to  offer 
a  successful  resistance.  Some  of  them,  however, 
having  received  timely  warning  of  what  was  con- 
templated, closed  their  gates  and  refused  admission 
to  the  king's  soldiers.  The  most  important  of 
these  were  Enniskillen   and  Derry.     The  inhabit- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.       241 

ants  of  the  former,  though  deserted  by  their  mag- 
istrates, resolved  to  shut  their  gates  against  the 
Romish  troops  that  had  been  sent  by  Tyreonnel  to 
occupy  their  garrison.  They  were  encouraged  to 
take  this  decisive  step  by  a  Presbyterian  minister 
by  the  name  of  Kelso,  who,  like  the  rest  of  his 
brethren,  "  labored  both  publicly  and  privately  in 
animating  his  hearers  to  take  up  arms  and  stand 
upon  their  own  defence,  showing  example  himself 
by  wearing  arms  and  marching  at  the  head  of  them 
when  together." 

Derry  was  a  still  more  important  place  to  hold 
for  the  king,  and  the  garrisoning  of  it  was  entrust- 
ed by  Tyreonnel  to  a  regiment  composed  exclu- 
sively of  Romanists,  under  command  of  a  Catho- 
lic nobleman,  Lord  Antrim.  On  the  approach  of 
these  troops,  the  Rev.  James  Gordon,  a  Presbyterian 
minister,  advised  that  they  should  not  be  allowed 
to  enter  the  city.  Its  bishop,  Hopkins,  though  Pur- 
itan in  doctrine,  was  a  non-resistant,  and  strongly 
opposed  the  closing  of  the  gates.  But  Presbyte- 
rian zeal  could  not  be  restrained.  Several  young 
men  took  forcible  possession  of  the  keys  and  closed 
the  gates  against  the  earl  of  Antrim's  "Redshanks," 
who  were  about  to  enter.  In  vain  did  the  bishop 
and  the  more  grave  and  prudent  portion  of  the 
citizens  urge  them  to  desist  from  their  bold  and 
hazardous  enterprise.  They  were  resolute  in  their 
purpose,  and  by  this  decisive  step  they  saved  Derry 
to  the  Protestants ;  and  in  preserving  this  import- 

10 


242  SCOTCH  AND  IRTSH  SEEDS. 

ant  pjst,  an  effectual  barrier  was  raised  between 
the  victorious  armies  of  the  king  and  the  pur- 
posed invasion  of  Scotland.  Had  a  popish  garri- 
son occupied  the  city  of  Deny,  James'  soldiers 
would  have  had  an  easy  conquest  of  all  Ulster, 
from  whence  they  would  have  passed  without 
obstruction  into  Scotland,  to  the  possible  over- 
throw of  the  religion  and  liberties  of  the  three 
kingdoms. 

While  these  events  were  taking  place  in  Ireland, 
the  prince  of  Orange  had  landed  in  England.  The 
Presbyterian  ministers  of  Ulster  were  the  first  in 
the  kingdom  to  hail  his  arrival,  and  to  transmit  an 
address  to  him  congratulating  him  on  his  success  and 
beseeching  him  to  take  speedy  care  for  their  preser- 
vation and  relief.  To  their  petition  an  answer  was 
returned,  addressed  to  the  Protestants  in  the  north 
of  Ireland,  approving  of  their  past  conduct  and 
promising  them  effectual  support.  On  the  recep- 
tion of  this  communication,  they  proclaimed  Wil- 
liam king  in  all  the  towns  subject  to  their  author- 
ity, and  Ireland  now  became  the  grand  scene  of 
conflict  for  the  sovereignty  of  the  three  kingdoms. 
Here  the  power  of  James  was  predominant,  and 
here  he  hoped  to  regain  his  throne.  But  to  at- 
tempt to  give  an  account  of  the  various  battles 
between  the  troops  of  the  two  contestants  for  the 
possession  of  the  country  would  lead  us  away  from 
the  purpose  of  this  sketch.      The  superiority  in 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.       243 

numbers  and  discipline  of  Tyrconnel's  army  en- 
abled him  to  overrun  most  of  the  kingdom,  only 
a  few  fortified  places,  which  had  been  seized  at  the 
first  alarm  of  the  massacre,  being  held  by  the  Prot- 
estants. 

Of  these,  as  previously  stated,  Deny  was  by  far 
the  most  important,  and  every  preparation  was 
made  by  their  enemies  to  wrest  it  from  them. 
King  James  and  his  formidable  army  laid  siege 
to  it  on  the  18th  of  April,  1689,  and  continued 
the  investituer  for  a  period  of  one  hundred  and  five 
days.  The  siege  was  closely  pressed  and  the  city 
subjected  to  frequent  bombardments,  but  it  was 
valorously  defended  by  its  brave  garrison.  By  far 
the  larger  number  of  the  officers  were  Episcopa- 
lians, while  among  the  soldiers  and  citizens  there 
were  fifteen  Presbyterians  for  one  Episcopalian. 
So  resolute  and  successful  was  their  defence  that 
the  enemy  resorted  to  an  inhuman  expedient  to 
secure  the  surrender  of  the  city.  All  the  Prot- 
estants who  could  be  collected  within  ten  miles, 
men,  women  and  children,  were  driven  under  the 
walls,  and  ordered  to  be  kept  there  without  shelter, 
protection  or  food  until  the  terms  of  capitulation 
should  be  accepted.  This  barbarous  act  was  of 
no  avail,  for  the  governor  of  the  city  erected  a  gal- 
lows on  the  walls  and  threatened  to  hang  the  Irish 
prisoners  in  his  possession  unless  these  wretched 
people  were  permitted  to  return  to  their  homes. 
But  the  garrison,  as  well  as  the  inhabitants,  were 


244  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

new  suffering  from  scarcity  of  provisions.*  Near- 
ly all  their  resources  of  food  had  been  exhausted, 
such  had  been  the  closeness  of  the  blockade  main- 
tained by  the  enemy,  and  the  relief  sent  to  the 
people  from  England  had  failed  to  reach  them  by 
reason  of  the  incompetency  or  treachery  of  the 
commander  of  the  squadron.  Although  disap- 
pointed in  their  expectations  of  relief  from  the  fleet 
from  day  to  day,  and  with  their  numbers  fearfully 
reduced  by  famine  and  sickness  and  death,  the 
brave  garrison  resolved  to  perish  rather  than  sur- 
render the  city.  History  shows  few  parallels  to  the 
valor  and  endurance  exhibited  on  this  occasion, 
and  rarely  have  more  memorable  services  been 
performed  in  behalf  of  civil  liberty  than  by  the 
brave  and  heroic  defenders  of  Derry.f  At  length, 
through  the  urgent  representations  and  remon- 
strances of  the  Rev.  James  Gordon,  Major-General 

*  Speaking  of  the  endurance  of  these  brave  men,  Fronde 
says :  "  Fever,  cholera  and  famine  came  to  the  aid  of  the  be- 
siegers. Rats  came  to  be  dainties,  and  hides  and  shoe-leather 
were  the  ordinary  fare.  They  saw  their  children  pine  away  and 
die.  They  were  wasted  themselves  till  they  could  scarcely 
handle  their  firelocks  on  their  ramparts." 

f  "Now  was  again  witnessed  what  Calvinism,  though  its  fire 
was  waning,  could  still  do  in  making  common  men  into  heroes. 
Deserted  by  the  English  regiments,  betrayed  by  their  own  com- 
manders, without  stores  and  half  armed,  the  shopkeepers  and 
apprentices  of  a  commercial  town  prepared  to  defend  an  un- 
fortified city  against  a  disciplined  army  of  twenty-five  thou- 
sand men,  led  by  trained  officers  and  amply  provided  with 
artillery."— Froude,  vol.  i.,  pp.  81,  82. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.       246 

Kirk  was  induced  to  permit  an  attempt  to  be  made 
to  relieve  the  city,  and  two  vessels  of  the  English 
fleet,  the  Mounrjoy  and  Phosnix,  reached  the  quay 
in  safety,  to  the  great  joy  of  the  famishing  garrison. 
Two  days  afterward  the  Irish  army  abandoned  their 
trenches  and  raised  the  siege  of  the  city. 

Enniskillen  was  defended  with  similar  bravery 
and  success.  Its  stubborn  defence  compelled  James 
to  divide  his  forces  in  order  to  cut  off  all  commu- 
nication between  Derry  and  the  former  place,  and 
this  division  contributed  to  the  security  of  both. 
In  one  of  their  many  severe  conflicts  with  the  ene- 
my, and  only  three  days  after  Derry  had  been  re- 
lieved, the  Protestants  gained  a  decisive  victory  over 
the  Irish,  routing  their  army,  whose  strength  was 
three  times  that  of  their  own,  and  killing  nearly 
two  thousand  men,  besides  capturing  the  general 
and  most  of  the  officers.  After  this  signal  defeat 
the  several  sections  of  James'  army  that  had  been 
engaged  in  the  sieges  of  Enniskillen  and  Derry 
beat  a  hasty  retreat,  plundering  and  burning  every- 
thing in  their  way.  Inspirited  by  this  success, 
the  adherents  of  William  employed  more  vigorous 
means  to  drive  the  enemy  out  of  the  country.  In 
this  they  were  aided  by  the  arrival  of  a  formidable 
armament  from  England,  consisting  of  ten  thou- 
sand horse  and  foot  commanded  by  the  duke  of 
Sehomberg.  Most  of  the  strongholds  of  the  ene- 
my were  quickly  wrested  from  him,  and  James 
and   his  Irish   forces  retired   to  Dublin. 


246  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

Although  defeated  and  driven  to  take  shelter 
in  Dublin,  the  forces  of  James  were  still  formida- 
ble, and  he  had  the  promise  of  large  reinforcements 
from  France  to  assist  him  to  subdue  his  rebel- 
lious subjects.  At  this  juncture  King  William 
announced  his  purpose  to  repair  to  Ireland  and 
conduct  the  war  in  person.  He  was  received  on 
landing  with  every  possible  demonstration  of  joy 
and  welcome,  and  one  week  after  his  arrival  he 
took  the  field  and  conducted  his  military  opera- 
tions with  his  characteristic  vigor.  Within  a  fort- 
night the  two  armies  were  brought  face  to  face  in 
battle  array  on  the  banks  of  the  Boyne.  Here,  on 
the  first  day  of  July,  1690,  was  fought  that  mem- 
orable battle  the  results  of  which  were  the  total 
defeat  of  the  Irish  army,  the  flight  of  James  to 
Dublin,  his  subsequent  retirement  to  France,  and 
the  occupation  of  the  metropolis  of  Ireland  by  the 
troops  of  King  William.  Thus  was  the  power 
of  James  II.  finally  overthrown,  and  in  the  very 
quarter  where  he  expected  an  easy  triumph,  and 
the  prince  of  Orange  secured  in  possession  of  the 
crown,  and  the  liberties  of  the  empire  once  more 
established  on  a  constitutional  basis.  During  all 
these  troubles  and  conflicts  the  Irish  Presbyterians 
vindicated  their  claims  to  the  sympathy  and  grati- 
tude of  the  English  king,  as  well  as  the  English 
people. 

Episcopal  bishops  and  curates  hastened  to  con- 
gratulate King  William  just  as  soon  as  they  saw  that 


HISTORY  OF  THE   IRISH   CHURCH.       ^Al 

victory  perched  upon  his  banners.  Within  a  day 
or  two  after  reaching  Dublin  he  was  waited  upon 
in  his  tent  by  an  Episcopalian  committee,  who,  in 
their  address,  assured  him  that  during  King  James' 
reign  in  Ireland  they  had  been  "guilty  of  no  com- 
pliances but  such  as  were  the  effects  of  prudence  and 
self-preservation"  and  that  they  now  acknowledged 
William  to  be  their  king  and  prayed  for  his  pros- 
perity. Such  an  assurance  was  certainly  needed, 
for  only  a  few  months  before,  nearly  the  same  per- 
sons had  presented  an  address  to  James  in  which 
they  declared  their  "  resolution  to  continue  firm  to 
that  loyalty  which  the  principles  of  their  Church 
obliged  them  to,  and  which,  in  pursuance  of  those 
principles,  they  had  hitherto  practiced."  Whatever 
may  be  thought  of  the  sincerity  of  their  professions 
to  William,  they  were  undoubtedly  sincere  in  the 
avowal  of  their  principles  before  King  James. 
They  were  believers  in  the  doctrine  of  non-resist- 
ance, and  were  keen  to  discover  whose  kingly  for- 
tunes were  in  the  ascendant,  and  their  "  prudence 
and  self-preservation"  led  them  speedily  to  range 
themselves  on  the  side  of  the  victorious  monarch. 
When  James'  authority  dominated  in  Ireland,  they 
prayed  for  him  and  his  reputed  son,  the  prince  of 
Wales,  and  that  all  his  enemies,  William  included, 
might  be  brought  into  confusion.  In  the  course 
of  a  single  week,  so  rapid  a  change  had  the  sword 
wrought  on  the  banks  of  the  Boyne  that  these  same 
clergy  were  praying,  with  the  same  apparent  fervor, 


248  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

for  William  as  their  lawful  king,  whom  they  had 
so  recently  denounced  as  a  usurper  and  his  sup- 
porters as  rebels.  As  each  contestant  for  the  crown 
obtained  the  ascendency  the  prayers  of  the  Estab- 
lished Church  had  to  be  changed  to  suit  the  new 
condition  of  affairs,  and  thus  its  clergy  in  Ulster 
had  been,  as  stated  by  one  of  their  own  number, 
"  four  times  in  one  year  praying  forward  and  back- 
ward, point-blank  contradictory  to  one  another." 
But  all  were  not  so  inconsistent  or  inconstant  in 
principle  and  conduct.  Many  were  the  warm 
friends  and  most  determined  and  valiant  defend- 
ers of  constitutional  liberty  when  imperiled  by  the 
illegal  measures  of  James.  Of  these  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Walker,  the  celebrated  governor  of  Derry  during 
its  siege,  was  a  worthy  and  noted  example. 

When  King  William  arrived  in  Ireland,  he  re- 
ceived from  the  commander  of  his  army  very  favor- 
able accounts  of  the  loyalty  of  Presbyterians  and  the 
support  they  had  given  his  cause.  Their  continued 
fidelity,  and  their  subsequent  distinguished  services 
in  his  behalf,  but  served  to  deepen  His  Majesty's 
impressions  and  incline  him  to  return  a  gracious 
response  to  a  petition  of  their  clergy  for  protection 
and  relief.  Recognizing  their  influence  both  as  to 
numbers  and  worth,  the  king  proceeded  to  redress 
their  grievances  and  vindicate  their  rights  by  estab- 
lishing civil  and  religious  freedom,  which  was  all 
that  was  needed  from  the  government  to  restore 
prosperity  to  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Ireland. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.       ^9 

During  the  commotions  caused  by  the  war  be- 
tween the  rival  claimants  for  the  throne,  the  Pres- 
byterians of  Ulster  suffered  terrible  privations  and 
losses.  Their  clergy  were  especially  obnoxious  to 
the  troops  of  James  and  his  adherents,  and  were 
forced  to  leave  the  country.  Public  religious 
worship  as  a  consequence  was  very  generally 
suspended.  Many  of  their  churches  were  either 
pulled  down  or  burned,  and  their  people  scattered 
and  impoverished  by  the  interruption  of  all  meth- 
ods of  industry.  But  the  few  who  remained  under 
the  protection  of  King  William  labored  with  great 
zeal  to  repair  the  evils  which  former  persecutions 
and  the  war  had  inflicted  upon  the  Church.  Not- 
withstanding the  many  difficulties  they  encountered 
from  the  scarcity  of  ministers  and  the  poverty  of 
the  people,  Presbyterians  not  only  held  their  own 
in  Ulster,  but  increased  in  numbers.  Though  their 
clergy  had  been  prohibited  during  previous  reigns 
from  the  public  exercise  of  their  ministry,  except 
at  brief  intervals  when  the  severity  of  the  penal 
statutes  was  relaxed,  the  ordinances  were  secretly 
administered  by  them,  and  their  people  were  gath- 
ered in  private  houses  and  instructed  in  the  word 
of  God,  so  that  the  great  body  of  them  adhered 
steadfastly  to  their  principles.  In  1692,  as  we 
learn  from  the  best  authority,  the  Presbyterians 
constituted  by  far  the  largest  portion  of  the  Prot- 
estants in  the  north  of  Ireland.  "  Some  parishes/' 
says  a  dignitary  of  the   Episcopal  Church,  "  have 


250  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

not  ten,  some  not  six,  that  come  to  church,  while 
the  Presbyterian  meetings  are  crowded  with  thou- 
sands, covering  all  the  fields."  In  some  regions,  he 
admits,  the  Episcopal  population  did  not  bear  a 
greater  proportion  to  the  Presbyterian  than  one  to 
fifty.  The  sixty  congregations  of  1661  had  in- 
creased to  one  hundred,  of  which  three-fourths  had 
settled  pastors. 

With  the  close  of  the  war  presbyteries  and  syn- 
ods were  again  held,  ministers  ordained,  houses 
of  worship  erected  and  congregations  gathered. 
Ministers  and  their  people  returned  from  their 
enforced  exile,  and  the  Presbyterian  Church  once 
more  entered  upon  a  period  of  peace  and  prosper- 
ity. Nor  were  the  loyalty  and  friendship  which 
the  Presbyterians  had  exhibited  in  behalf  of  King 
William  forgotten  by  that  monarch.  Moved  by 
their  necessities,  and  by  a  wish  to  express  his  ap- 
preciation of  the  services  rendered  by  their  clergy 
in  the  maintenance  of  constitutional  freedom,  he 
authorized  the  payment  to  them  yearly  of  twelve 
hundred  pounds.  This  royal  grant,  known  as  the 
Regium  Dontjm,  was  designed  as  a  testimony,  so 
says  His  Majesty,  to  "the  peaceable  and  dutiful 
temper  of  our  said  subjects,  and  their  constant  labor 
to  unite  the  hearts  of  others  in  zeal  and  loyalty 
toward  us,"  and  because  we  are  "  sensible  of  the 
losses  they  have  sustained." 

The  extent  of  these  losses,  and  of  the  ravages 
occasioned  by  the  war,  may  be  inferred  from  the 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.        251 

fact  that  nearly  or  quite  fifty  of  the  Presbyterian 
ministers  of  Ireland  fled  to  Scotland,  whither  they 
were  followed  by  a  large  number  of  their  people. 
So  great  was  the  number  of  Ulster  Presbyterians 
in  Glasgow  that  the  meeting-houses  sanctioned  by 
law  for  the  use  of  indulged  ministers  were  inade- 
quate for  their  accommodation.  As  a  number  of 
the  Episcopal  churches  were  unoccupied,  and  had 
been  closed  for  months,  an  application  was  made 
to  the  convention-parliament  at  Edinburgh  to  per- 
mit these  Irish  exiles  with  their  ministers  to  occupy 
some  of  these  deserted  churches.  This  request  was 
at  once  granted,  and  two  churches  were  appropri- 
ated to  their  use,  and  Rev.  Messrs.  Craighead  and 
Kennedy  were  appointed  to  officiate  statedly  there- 
in. This  they  continued  to  do  until  their  return 
to  Ireland  to  their  own  parishes,  and  with  such 
acceptance  that  they  were  earnestly  entreated  by 
their  brethren  in  Glasgow  to  protract  their  stay 
in  Scotland  as  long  as  possible.  In  a  letter  to  the 
Irish  ministers  they  say,  "  We  cordially  bless  the 
Lord  for  the  help  and  comfort  that  we  have  gotten 
by  their  ministry  hitherto,  and  continue  to  suppli- 
cate that  if  you  find  it  necessary  to  send  any  of 
your  number  to  Ireland,  you  may  spare  these  two 
reverend  brethren  for  the  present  to  carry  on  the 
great  work  which  is  now  begun  by  them."  A  still 
more  important  circumstance  was  that  this  large 
influx  of  Irish  Presbyterians  gave  occasion  to  the 
Scottish  estates  to  take  the  first  practical  step  to- 


252  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

ward  abolishing  the  prelatical  establishment  and 
setting  up  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  its  place. 
This  action  probably  had  a  direct  and  decided  in- 
fluence in  inducing  many  of  the  Irish  ministers  to 
remain  in  Scotland  ;  for,  from  the  many  applica- 
tions made  by  congregations  to  the  synod  at 
Belfast  for  a  return  of  their  former  ministers,  it 
appears  that  twenty-five  of  them  settled  in  Scot- 
tish parishes  and  remained  permanently  connected 
with  the  Church  of  Scotland. 

Presbyterian  ministers  were  left  for  a  period 
comparatively  free  to  reorganize  and  build  up 
their  Church  in  Ireland.  The  laws  against  dis- 
senters, it  is  true,  were  still  in  force;  but  owing  to 
the  known  wishes  of  the  king  in  favor  of  toler- 
ation, and  the  impressive  lessons  of  the  war  en- 
forcing the  importance  of  Protestant  unity,  the 
penal  statutes  were  not  enforced.  The  conduct 
of  King  James  had  convinced  the  Episcopalians 
of  the  necessity  of  forgetting  all  ecclesiastical  dif- 
ferences, and  uniting  with  their  Presbyterian  breth- 
ren for  the  protection  of  themselves  and  their  com- 
mon faith.  But  scarcely  had  the  impending  dan- 
ger passed  by  when  symptoms  of  a  renewal  of  the 
former  unfriendly  feelings  were  displayed  by  the 
High  Church  party.  Instances  of  prelatical  in- 
tolerance again  occurred,  and  the  dormant  penal- 
ties of  the  law  were  revived  in  a  few  places  against 
Presbyterian  clergymen.  Such  bigotry,  however, 
met  with  little  sympathy.     Besides,  the  Irish  gov- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.       253 

eminent,  in  accordance  with  the  promises  of  Wil- 
liam to  the  Presbyterians,  protected  them  in  the 
free  exercise  of  their  worship  and  discipline. 

Still,  while  the  laws  against  dissenters  remained 
unrepealed,  there  was  danger  of  their  revival  at 
any  time  when  it  became  the  interest  and  policy 
of  the  prelates  to  use  the  power  left  in  their  hands. 
To  relieve  Nonconformists  from  this  danger,  King 
William  obtained  from  the  English  Parliament 
the  abolition  of  the  Irish  oath  of  supremacy,  which 
had  been  in  force  since  the  commencement  of  the 
reign  of  Elizabeth,  and  had  substituted  in  its 
place  the  English  oaths  of  fidelity  and  allegiance. 
These  the  Nonconformists  did  not  object  to;  and  as 
no  sacramental  test  was  in  force  in  Ireland,  this 
English  act  would  have  opened  all  public  employ- 
ments, civil  and  military,  to  the  Presbyterians.  But 
the  liberal  policy  of  the  king  was  opposed  by  the 
Irish  Parliament,  which,  after  an  interval  of  twenty- 
six  years,  met  in  Dublin.  To  it  was  submitted  a 
bill  for  toleration  similar  to  the  one  m  favor  of 
dissenters  in  England,  but  through  the  paramount 
influence  of  the  bishops  it  was  defeated,  they  re- 
fusing to  give  their  consent  to  the  legalizing  of  the 
public  worship  of  Presbyterians  unless  the  sacra- 
mental test  was  at  the  same  time  imposed.  To 
this  the  king  would  not  assent,  and,  consequently, 
Presbyterian  worship  was  continued  merely  upon 
sufferance.  These  magnanimous  prelates,  moreover, 
wished   to  impose  additional   burdens   upon  those 


254  SCOTCH  AND  IRTSH  SEEDS. 

who  had  freely  shed  their  blood  for  their  common 
faith,  and  without  whose  assistance  the  Protestant 
religion  would  have  been  overthrown  in  Ireland. 
Among  other  things,  these  bigots  demanded  that 
all  Presbyterians  holding  office  should  be  required 
to  partake  of  the  communion  three  times  each  year 
in  an  Episcopal  church,  and  that  none  of  their 
clergymen  should  preach  against  the  Established 
Church,  under  very  severe  penalties. 

The  absence  of  an  act  of  toleration  was  at  this 
period  no  great  grievance  to  Presbyterians.  Their 
loyalty  was  well  known,  and  their  recent  valuable 
services  in  behalf  of  civil  and  religious  freedom 
were  still  so  fresh  in  the  remembrance  of  the  gov- 
ernment and  of  the  people  that  public  opinion  and 
the  favor  of  the  civil  magistrates  supplied  the 
place  of  a  legislative  enactment.  To  nearly  the 
close  of  King  William's  reign  the  isolated  cases  of 
attempted  persecution,  or  of  hardship  suffered  by 
them,  could  be  readily  brought  before  the  agents 
of  the  government  and  prompt  justice  obtained. 
The  failure  of  the  attempts  that  were  made  to 
molest  them  in  the  enjoyment  of  their  religious 
rights  discouraged  those  who,  moved  by  jealousy 
in  seeing  their  prosperity  and  rapid  increase  in 
numbers,  would  have  been  pleased  to  obstruct  their 
public  ministry.  Causes  of  irritation,  however, 
were  not  wanting,  occasioned  by  attacks  made 
upon  the  worship  and  discipline  in  use  among 
Presbyterians.      One  of  the  most  noted  of  these 


HISTORY   OF  THE  TBTSH  CHURCH.       265 

was  by  Bishop  King,  of  Deny.  This  High  Church 
bishop,  in  1693,  published  an  anonymous  pam- 
phlet entitled  A  Discourse  Concerning  the  In- 
ventions of  Men  in  the  Worship  of  God,  which 
contained  very  many  unworthy  insinuations  and 
unfounded  charges  against  Presbyterians.  The 
tractate  was  written  in  a  spirit  of  affected  friend- 
ship for  those  whom  it  attacked,  and  with  the 
design  to  show  that  their  modes  of  worship  were 
uot  only  very  defective,  but  were  without  any  war- 
rant from  Scripture.  The  writer  claimed  to  have 
been  moved  to  his  work  by  his  concern  "  for  a  well- 
meaning  people  so  strangely  misled  as  to  content 
themselves  to  meet  together  for  years  with  a  de- 
sign to  worship  God,  and  yet  hardly  ever  see  or 
hear  anything  of  God's  immediate  appointment  in 
their  meetings."  He  charged  that  Presbyterians, 
as  a  rule,  were  very  inadequately  instructed  by 
their  ministers  in  the  principles  of  religion  ;  that 
the  Bible  was  rarely  read  in  their  religious  assem- 
blies ;  that  few  of  them  attended  public  worship ; 
and  that  the  Lord's  Supper  was  undervalued  and 
neglected,  being  celebrated  only  at  very  distant  in- 
tervals. 

The  Rev.  Robert  Boyse  of  Dublin,  and  after- 
ward the  Rev.  Robert  Craighead  of  Deny,  replied 
to  the  bishop's  accusations,  exposing  the  inaccuracy 
of  his  statements  and  refuting  the  reasoning  based 
on  the  false  charges.  Not  content  with  producing 
unimpeachable   testimony   expressly   contradicting 


256  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS 

the  bishop's  alleged  facts  relative  to  the  religious 
ignorance  of  Presbyterians,  their  disuse  of  the 
Scriptures  in  divine  service  and  their  neglect  of 
the  Lord's  Supper,  they  proceeded  to  discuss  the 
subject  of  church  government,  and  called  in  ques- 
tion, in  their  turn,  the  divine  authority  of  many 
of  the  rites  and  ceremonies  in  the  Established 
Church.  This  opened  wide  the  field  of  contro- 
versy, which  continued  for  many  years  and  called 
forth  many  publications. 

By  the  able  discussion  which  these  subjects  re- 
ceived, Presbyterians  were  more  fully  convinced 
than  ever  that  their  simple  forms  of  worship  were 
more  in  accordance  with  the  word  of  God  than 
those  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  This  in  itself 
was  a  good,  but  the  controversy  was  not  without 
attendant  evils.  It  excited  animosities  among 
Protestants  when  they  should  have  stood  shoulder 
to  shoulder  in  resisting  their  common  enemy.  It 
led  the  ministers  of  the  Establishment  to  preach 
frequently  against  the  sin  of  schism,  and  those  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  to  defend  their  position 
as  nonconformists  and  make  prominent  their  ob- 
jections to  Episcopacy.  Without  doubt  it  embit- 
tered the  clergy  of  the  Established  Church  against 
all  dissenters  and  had  a  great  influence  with  other 
bishops,  besides  King,  of  Deny,  to  cause  them  to 
resist  every  measure  of  toleration  which  the  lib- 
eral monarch  and  his  ministry  were  anxious  to 
grant.     They  began  at  this  period  to  exhibit  their 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.       257 

unfriendly  feelings  toward  the  laity  as  well  as 
the  ministry  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  In 
some  parts  of  Ulster  the  people  were  not  per- 
mitted to  bury  their  dead,  as  formerly,  unless  an 
Episcopalian  officiated  at  the  funeral  and  read  the 
burial-service  of  his  Church  ;  in  other  places  they 
were  compelled  to  hold  the  office  of  churchwar- 
den and  take  certain  official  oaths  which  were  op- 
posed to  their  consciences ;  in  some  instances  they 
were  prohibited  from  having  their  families  instruct- 
ed by  tutors  of  their  own  religious  faith,  all  teach- 
ers being  required  to  conform  to  the  Established 
Church;  and  strenuous  efforts  were  made  to  pro- 
hibit Presbyterian  ministers  from  celebrating  mar- 
riages even  among  their  own  people.*  These 
efforts  to  annoy  and  harass  Nonconformists  con- 
tinued through  succeeding  years,  until,  on  the 
accession  of  a  Tory  ministry  in  England  and  the 
ascendency  of  the  High  Church  party,  a  bill  was 
passed  requiring  "all  persons  in  office,  civil,  mili- 
tary or  ecclesiastical,  to  take  the  oath  of  abjura- 

*  After  speaking  of  the  persecutions  of  nonconformists  sub- 
sequent to  the  Restoration,  Mr.  Froude  states  "that  the  full 
and  free  equality  of  privilege  which  they  (nonconformists)  had 
honorably  earned,  it  was  William's  desire  to  secure  to  them  by 
law.  But  in  this  he  was  prevented  by  the  'Irish  Established 
clergy,  the  Irish  peers  and  the  great  landowners,  who  were 
ardent  High  Churchmen,'  and  who  were  but  a  third  of  the 
nominal  Protestants.  In  the  opposition  the  bishops  took  the 
most  prominent  part,  and  were  most  vindictive  and  unrelent- 
ing."— Froude,  vol.  i.,  p.  237. 
17 


258  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

tion."  And  in  1704  the  Irish  bishops  succeeded 
in  having  the  sacramental  test  imposed,  by  which 
Presbyterians  were  deprived  of  all  public  offices 
and  places  of  trust  which  they  then  held,  and  were 
rendered  incapable  of  ever  afterward  being  ap- 
pointed to  similar  offices.  Thus  was  a  most  fla- 
grant act  of  injustice  finally  consummated  through 
the  influence  of  the  bishops  and  the  High  Church 
party.  To  carry  their  end  in  Parliament,  and  to 
obtain  votes  for  its  passage,  they  promised  to  pass 
an  act  of  toleration  giving  the  same  legal  security 
to  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Ireland  that  was  by 
law  allowed  Protestant  dissenters  in  England.  But 
all  such  promises  were  forgotten  when  their  main 
object  had  been  obtained,  and  the  Irish  Presbyte- 
rians were  left  in  a  much  worse  position  than  their 
English  brethren. 

The  history  of  the  many  endeavors  of  the  Irish 
Presbyterians  to  secure  a  legal  toleration,  and  to  have 
the  numerous  grievances  under  which  they  suffer- 
ed removed,  differs  but  slightly  from  what  has  been 
already  narrated.  Their  efforts  were  largely  direct- 
ed to  correcting  the  misrepresentations  of  their 
High  Church  adversaries,  and  to  assuring  the  court 
of  their  loyalty  and  their  desire  to  lead  quiet  and 
peaceable  lives  as  good  citizens.  Strange  as  it  may 
appear,  they  were  not  unfrequently  charged  with 
persecuting  members  of  the  Established  Church, 
and  with  deliberate  attempts  to  infringe  upon  the 
rights  of  its  clergy.     Easy  of  refutation   as  were 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  CHURCH.       259 

these  baseless  accusations,  they  yet  show  to  what 
lengths  their  adversaries  were  willing  to  go  in 
order  to  prejudice  them  in  the  estimation  of  the 
persons  who  were  in  authority  in  the  government. 
For  more  than  half  a  century  longer  the  Presby- 
terians were  subjected  to  many  civil  disabilities 
and  to  unfounded  suspicions  of  a  want  of  loyalty, 
and  in  every  attempt  to  secure  their  rights  they 
were  successfully  resisted  by  the  adherents  of  Epis- 
copacy. It  was  not  until  1780  that  the  Test  Act 
was  repealed,  and  this  was  followed  two  years  later 
by  an  act  declaring  that  marriages  solemnized  by 
Presbyterians  were  valid  in  law.  Temporary  re- 
lief for  short  periods  was  enjoyed,  as  at  the  acces- 
sion of  George  I.  to  the  throne,  but  the  liberal  pro- 
jects of  sovereigns  and  their  ministers  were  in  the 
end  thwarted  by  the  bigotry  and  narrow-minded 
jealousy  of  the  Irish  Established  Church,  and  the 
indulgence  extended  at  times  to  dissenters  was  so 
curtailed  as  to  be  of  little  use  to  them.  Against 
all  these  illiberal  influences  and  these  evils  of  in- 
tolerance the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Ireland  was 
obliged  constantly  to  contend. 

Notwithstanding  their  many  hindrances  and 
hardships,  and  the  various  inducements  held  out 
to  both  pastors  and  people  to  unite  with  the  Epis- 
copal Church,  Presbyterianism  during  all  this  pe- 
riod was  steadily  on  the  advance  in  Ireland.  New 
congregations  sprang  up,  houses  of  worship  were 
erected,  vacant  congregations  were  gradually  sup- 


260  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

plied  with  ministers,  principally  from  the  Church 
of  Scotland,  and  increased  facilities  for  education 
were  afforded  young  men  desirous  of  preaching  the 
gospel  in  their  native  land.  The  congregations  in 
1709  had  increased  to  more  than  one  hundred  and 
thirty,  and  it  became  so  inconvenient  for  their  min- 
isters and  elders  to  meet  annually  in  one  Assembly, 
to  attend  to  the  business  of  the  Church,  that  pro- 
posals were  made  to  make  it  a  delegate  body,  and 
to  limit  the  number  of  attendants.  The  five  origi- 
nal presbyteries  had  been  divided  into  two  particu- 
lar synods,  and  some  of  the  presbyteries,  having 
grown  too  large  for  the  proper  discharge  of  their 
duties,  were  also  divided.  In  this  way  two  new 
presbyteries  were  formed  out  of  Tyrone,  and  one 
out  of  that  of  Lagan. 

Much  difficulty  was  now  experienced  in  obtain- 
ing an  adequate  supply  of  ministers  to  keep  pace 
with  the  rapid  growth  of  congregations.  This, 
however,  did  not  lead  the  Church  to  lower  the 
standard  of  qualifications  demanded  of  its  minis- 
try. It  required  that  all  candidates  for  licensure 
should  have  studied  divinity  for  four  years  after 
they  had  completed  their  course  of  philosophy  ;  and 
to  prevent  candidates  from  entering  the  Church 
who  were  not  sound  in  the  faith,  the  synod  of  1698 
enacted  that  all  persons  licensed  or  ordained  should 
subscribe  the  Westminster  Confession  of  Faith  as 
their  Confession.  By  these  means  the  ministry  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  became  yearly  more  re- 


HISTORY  OF  Till:   IRISH  CHURCH.       261 

spected  for  its  literary  and  theological  attainments, 
and  by  these  wise  and  continued  efforts  most  of 
the  congregations  enjoyed  the  services  of  pious  and 
educated  men. 

At  the  same  time,  the  missionary  operations  of 
the  Church  were  carried  on  with  vigor  and  suc- 
cess. To  meet  the  necessities  of  the  scattered  and 
neglected  members  of  its  communion,  the  synod  in 
1706  established  a  General  Fund,  and  appointed 
a  number  of  persons  in  each  presbytery  to  solicit 
subscriptions.  With  the  means  thus  obtained  labor 
was  actively  begun  among  the  Irish-speaking  pop- 
ulation— a  class  which  had  been  wellnigh  neglected 
since  the  time  of  the  revered  Bishop  Bedell.  That 
commendable  progress  was  made  in  this  needed 
work  is  seen  from  the  statement,  by  the  synod  of 
1710,  that  seven  of  its  ministers  and  three  of  its 
probationers  were  able  to  preach  in  the  Irish  lan- 
guage, and  that  a  plan  had  been  formed  for  em- 
ploying these  men  in  this  work  and  supplying 
them  with  Bibles,  Confessions  of  Faith  and  Cate- 
chisms, all  in  the  Irish  language.  With  this  mis- 
sionary fund,  to  which  large  additions  were  made 
by  wealthy  members  of  the  Church,  the  principles 
of  Presbyterianism  were  much  extended  and  the 
ordinances  of  religion  provided  in  many  destitute 
parts  of  the  country. 

Though  the  government  and  worship  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  were  finally  legalized  in  1715), 
its  members  still  endured  many  privations.     Epis- 


262  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

copalian  landlords  possessing  large  estates  refused 
to  permit  Presbyterian  churches  to  be  built  upon 
them.  Others  exacted  higher  rents  from  Presbyte- 
rian than  from  Episcopalian  tenants.  By  the  sacra- 
mental test  Presbyterians  were  still  excluded  from 
all  places  of  public  trust  under  the  Crown.  Presby- 
terian teachers  could  with  difficulty  keep  open  their 
schools,  and  private  members  were  subjected  to  pros- 
ecution in  the  ecclesiastical  courts  for  their  mar- 
riages by  their  own  clergy.*  Is  it  any  wonder 
they  should  grow  weary  of  being  thus  constantly 
harassed,  and  should  be  led  to  look  elsewhere  for 
the  relief  they  sought  in  vain  in  their  native  land,  or 
that  there  should  have  been  a  growing  desire  among 
Presbyterians  to  emigrate  to  America  ?  When  the 
lord-lieutenant,  the  duke  of  Shrewsbury,  reached 
Dublin  in  1713,  several  ministers  laid  before  him 
a  paper  in  which  they  stated  the  evils  that  both 
ministers  and  people  yet  suffered  from  the  contin- 
ued imposition  of  the  sacramental  test.  They 
stated  also  how  discouraged  they  were  by  the  fre- 

*  Mr.  Froude  shows  how  the  bill  for  the  repression  of  po- 
pery in  1704  was  used  against  dissenters  by  the  prelates:  "The 
bishops  fell  upon  the  grievance,  which  had  so  long  afflicted 
them,  of  the  Presbyterian  marriages.  Dissenting  ministers 
were  unsanctified  upstarts,  whose  pretended  ceremonial  was 
but  a  license  for  sin.  It  was  announced  that  the  children  of 
Protestants  not  married  in  a  church  should  be  treated  as  bas- 
tards, and,  as  the  record  of  this  childish  insanity  declares, 
'many  persons  of  undoubted  reputation  were  prosecuted  in  the 
bishops'  courts  as  fornicators.' " — Froude,  vol.  i.,  p.  392. 


HISTORY   OF   THE  IRISH   CHURCJI.        263 

quent  disappointment  of  their  hopes  of  relief,  and 
assured  him  that  "  the  melancholy  apprehensions  of 

these  things  have  put  several  of  us  upon  thoughts 
of  transplanting  ourselves  into  America,  that  we 
may  there  in  a  wilderness  enjoy,  by  the  blessing  of 
God,  that  ease  and  quiet  to  our  consciences,  per- 
sons and  families  which  are  denied  us  in  our  native 
country."  But  it  was  in  vain  that  they  petitioned 
for  redress.  If,  through  a  change  in  the  office  of 
lord-lieutenant,  or  in  those  of  lords-justices,  the 
severity  of  the  penal  statutes  in  force  against  dis- 
senters was  not  inflicted,  the  relief  was  but  tempo- 
rary, and  rested  mainly  upon  the  pleasure  of  those 
in  authority,  and  not  on  legal  enactments.  The 
dissatisfaction  felt  at  this  state  of  affairs  naturally 
increased  from  year  to  year,  and  determined  many 
persons  either  to  return  to  Scotland  or  to  seek 
refuge  in  America.  In  1729  the  disposition  to 
emigrate  received  a  new  impulse.  After  the  Rev- 
olution the  landed  proprietors,  anxious  for  the  culti- 
vation of  their  waste  lands,  had  granted  favorable 
leases,  under  which  the  Presbyterian  tenantry  had 
been  stimulated  to  improve  their  holdings  and  ex- 
tend their  cultivation.  But  as  these  leases,  usually 
for  thirty-one  years,  expired,  the  rents  were  so  raised 
that  the  farmers  became  greatly  discouraged,  and 
many  were  obliged  to  relinquish  their  farms  and 
find  a  home  in  some  other  country  where  they 
might  improve  their  condition.  To  add  to  their 
discouragement,  there   was    proportionate    increase 


264  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

in  the  demand  for  tithes,  while  the  three  successive 
harvests  after  that  of  1724  had  proved  so  scanty 
that  the  price  of  food  in  1728  far  exceeded  what  it 
had  been  in  the  memory  of  that  generation.  Add- 
ed to  all  was  the  disqualification  for  office  created 
by  the  Sacramektal  Test.  In  these  circum- 
stances the  thoughts  of  many  were  turned  to  the 
New  World,  not  only  as  promising  a  better  and  a 
surer  reward  for  their  labor  and  capital,  but  relief 
also  from  the  civil  and  social  evils  which  they  had 
so  long  endured. 


EMIGRATION  OF  SCOTCH  AND  SCOTCH- 
IRISH  TO  AMERICA. 


CHAPTER   IX. 
Emigration  to  America. 

The  emigrants  to  this  country  from  Scotland 
and  Ireland  had  so  many  things  in  common,  and 
they  mingled  so  naturally  and  constantly  wherever 
they  settled,  that  it  is  impossible  to  trace,  with  any 
accuracy,  the  separate  streams  of  emigration.  An 
approximation  is  all  that  will  be  attempted. 

During  the  bloody  persecutions  which  prevailed 
in  Scotland  many  of  her  best  citizens  were  banish- 
ed to  America.  Some  of  them  were  transported  as 
felons  because  they  would  not  violate  their  con- 
sciences ;  this  was  the  only  crime  alleged  against 
them  by  their  accusers.  Others  fled  because  they 
saw  no  prospect  in  the  future  that  in  their  native 
land  they  would  be  permitted  to  enjoy  those  modes 
of  worship  which  they  believed  most  in  accordance 
with  God's  word ;  while  still  others  wrere  attracted 
to  the  New  World  by  the  prospect  of  improving 
their  temporal  affairs,  Avhich  had  been  impaired  or 
wholly  ruined  by  the  fines  and  imprisonments  to 
which  they  had  been  subjected. 

265 


266  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

After  the  disastrous  battle  of  Dunbar  (1650),  a 
large  number  of  prisoners  were  sent  to  the  Planta- 
tions, as  they  were  called,  to  be  sold  for  slaves.  A 
like  disposition  was  made  of  many  who  took  part 
in  the  Pentland  rising  and  the  battle  of  Bothwell 
Bridge.  The  oppressed  congregations  also  fur- 
nished many  colonists,  who,  denied  all  religious 
freedom  at  home,  fled  to  this  country.  A  large 
number  of  these  Presbyterians  settled,  from  the 
years  1670  to  1680,  on  the  Elizabeth  River,  Vir 
ginia,  and  in  the  lower  counties  of  Maryland,  and 
established  several  churches  at  least  twenty  years 
before  the  close  of  the  century. 

Several  Scottish  noblemen  and  gentlemen,  who 
had  been  active  in  their  opposition  to  the  prelatic 
measures  of  their  sovereign,  and  so  incurred  his 
displeasure,  conceived  the  design  of  providing  a 
home  for  their  persecuted  brethren  in  America, 
and  in  1682  they  contracted  with  the  lords-pro- 
prietors of  Carolina  for  a  large  landed  property. 
In  the  same  State,  and  previous  to  the  year  1670, 
"  several  hundred  able-bodied  men  formed  a  settle- 
ment on  the  west  bank  of  the  Ashley  River  and 
named  it  Charles'  Town."  *  As  early  as  1662  a  com- 
pany of  persons  driven  from  Virginia  by  religious 
persecution  settled  on  Albemarle  Sound.  They 
supposed  they  would  be  protected  in  their  civil 
and  religious  rights,  but  no  sooner  did  the  Episco- 
pal Church  acquire  the  necessary  prestige  and  power 

*  Howe's  H'story  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  South  Carolina. 


EMIGRATION  TO   AMERICA.  267 

than  dissenters  were  taxed  for  its  support,  and  were 
disfranchised  if  tliey  failed  to  conform.  Thus  were 
they  socially  and' pelitically  degraded  by  intolerant 
laws  designed  to  prop  up  Episcopacy,  and  to  escape 
from  this  injustice  they  removed  to  another  colony. 
This  settlement  and  a  previous  one  on  Chowan 
River  were  visited  by  Governor  Berkley  of  Vir- 
ginia in  1663,  who  appointed  William  Drummond, 
a  Scotch  Presbyterian,  the  first  governor  of  the 
colonies  settled  in  North  Carolina.  At  his  death 
(1667)  the  colonists  numbered  about  five  thousand. 
The  congregations  of  Marlborough  and  Bladens- 
burg,  Maryland,  were  composed  of  Presbyterians 
who  left  Scotland  during  the  persecution  in  the 
reign  of  James  II.  East  Jersey  subsequently  re- 
ceived a  considerable  emigration,  chiefly  induced  to 
remove  there  by  George  Scot  of  Pitloche,  who  had 
suffered  everything  short  of  death  for  his  noncon- 
formity. In  his  appeal  to  his  countrymen  to  em- 
igrate he  dwelt  especially  upon  the  privilege  they 
would  have  of  enjoying  their  own  modes  of  wor- 
ship; and  this  appeal  was  seconded  by  letters  from 
their  friends  who  had  previously  settled  in  the 
province.  Other  companies  of  Scotchmen  found 
homes  in  Delaware  and  along  the  York  and  Rap- 
pahannock Rivers  in  Virginia;  while,  as  we  have 
seen,  a  large  number  of  colonists  had  entered  the 
southern  colonies,  landing  either  at  Wilmington  or 
Charleston.  Those  who  remained  in  Charleston 
united  with  Congregational ists  from  New  England, 


268  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

who  were  already  settled  there,  in  forming  an  In- 
dependent church,  but  the  pastors  for  many  years 
belonged  to  the  Church  of  Scotland.  This  church 
was  gathered  probably  as  early  as  1682.  In  1695 
we  know  that  a  gift  of  one  thousand  pounds  was 
made  to  it  by  Governor  Joseph  Blake.  The 
French  Huguenot  church  was  established  in  1686, 
and  was  the  first  purely  Presbyterian  church  in 
South  Carolina.  Other  churches  were  formed 
within  a  few  years.  A  letter  from  South  Carolina 
published  in  London  (1710)  states  that  there  were 
at  this  time  five  Presbyterian  churches  in  the 
colony,  and  the  records  show  that  a  donation  of  three 
hundred  acres  of  land  was  made  in  1717  for  the  sup- 
port of  a  Presbyterian  minister  on  Edisto  Island. 

North  Carolina  was  also  largely  indebted  to  these 
early  Scotch  colonists  for  many  of  her  most  useful 
and  honored  citizens.  As  early  as  1729,  and  again 
in  1736  and  1739,  there  were  large  arrivals  of  em- 
igrants, who  occupied  the  fertile  plains  along  the 
Cape  Fear  River.  The  rebellion  of  1745  caused 
many  Highlanders  to  leave  their  native  land. 
Shiploads  of  them  are  said  to  have  landed  at 
Wilmington,  and  from  thence  they  made  their 
way  into  the  interior  of  North  and  South  Caro- 
lina. Some  of  these  were  voluntary  exiles,  but  the 
most  of  them  had  fled  from  Scotland  to  avoid  per- 
secution, and  even  death  itself.  For  many  years  the 
Gaelic  language  was  retained  among  them,  and  was 
employed  by  their  preachers  in  all  public  services. 


EMIGRATION   TO  AMERICA.  269 

As  early  as  1698  a  colony  of  French  Presbyte- 
rians (Huguenots),  numbering  more  than  one  thou- 
sand persons,  settled  upon  the  Santee  and  Cooper 
Rivers,  South  Carolina.  The  emigration  of  Hu- 
guenots continued  for  many  years,  and  various 
colonies  were  formed  in  the  State.  From  these 
have  descended  some  of  the  most  worthy  citizen* 
in  the  South.  Previous  to  the  year  1700  seventy 
families  of  Swiss  Presbyterians  landed  in  the  same 
State,  and  being  largely  mechanics  and  merchants 
made  their  permanent  residence  in  Charleston. 

Though  the  emigration  from  Scotland  began  at 
an  earlier  period  than  that  from  the  north  of  Ire- 
land, it  never  assumed  the  magnitude  nor  the 
organized  form  of  the  latter,  especially  from  the 
years  1715  to  1750.  During  these  years  America 
received  very  large  accessions  to  its  Protestant 
population,  most  of  whom  were  Scotch-Irish,  and 
in  hearty  sympathy  with  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
So  great  were  the  numbers  from  Ireland  who 
sought  refuge  in  this  country  that  the  civil  magis- 
trates "deplored  the  hallucination"  which  seemed 
to  have  seized  the  inhabitants,  and  which  led  them 
in  such  multitudes  to  forsake  their  adopted  land. 

There  were  three  causes  impelling  the  inhabitants 
of  Ulster  to  desert  a  country  which  they  had  re- 
claimed from  barbarism.  These  were  religious 
bigotry,  commercial  jealousy  and  the  oppressive 
measures  employed  by   landlords. 

Of  the  first  little  requires  to  be  said  in  this  con- 


270  SCOTCH  ANT)   IRISH  SEEDS. 

nection.  In  the  course  of  the  previous  history  we 
have  seen  what  evils  were  inflicted  upon  noncon- 
foi  nists  by  an  intolerant  government,  instigated 
by  still  more  intolerant  bishops.  It  may  be  well, 
however,  to  add  here,  and  more  in  confirmation 
of  previous  statements  than  by  way  of  elucidation, 
what  Mr.  Fronde*  has  said  on  this  subject:  "The 
Protestant  settlers  in  Ireland  at  the  beginning  of 
the  seventeenth  century  were  of  the  same  metal 
with  those  who  afterward  sailed  in  the  Mayflower 
— Presbyterians,  Puritans,  Independents — in  search 
of  a  wider  breathing-space  than  was  allowed  them 
at  home.  By  an  unhappy  perversity  they  had 
fallen  under  the  same  stigma,  and  were  exposed  to 
the  same  inconveniences.  The  bishops  had  chafed 
them  with  persecutions.  .  .  .  The  heroism  with 
which  the  Scots  held  the  northern  province  against 
the  Kilkenny  Parliament  and  Owen  Roe  O'Neil, 
was  an  insufficient  offset  against  the  sin  of  non- 
conformity. .  .  .  This  was  a  stain  for  which  no 
excellence  could  atone.  The  persecutions  were 
renewed,  but  did  not  cool  Presbyterian  loyalty. 
When  the  native  race  made  their  last  effort  under 
James  II.  to  recover  their  lands,  the  Calvinists 
of  Derry  won  immortal  honor  for  themselves,  and 

*  As  Mr.  Fronde  was  educated  for  the  ministry  of  the  Estab- 
lished Church  of  England,  though  not  now  in  orders,  it  is  prob- 
able that  as  an  Englishman  and  a  churchman  he  would  not 
speak  with  undui  severity,  not  to  say  injustice,  of  any  matter 
where  Ireland  and  dissenters  were  concerned. 


EmORATTON   TO  AMERICA*  271 

flung  over  the  wretched  annate  of  their  adopted 
country  a  solitary  gleam  of  true  glory.  Even  this 
passed  for  nothing.  They  were  still  dissenters, 
still  unconscious  that  they  owed  obedience  to  the 
hybrid  successors  of  St.  Patrick,  the  prelate 
the  Establishment;  and  no  sooner  was  peace  re-es- 
tablished than  spleen  and  bigotry  were  again  at 
their  old  work.  Vexed  with  suits  in  the  ecclesi- 
astical courts,  forbidden  to  educate  their  children 
in  their  own  faith,  treated  as  dangerous  to  a  State 
which  but  for  them  would  have  had  no  existence, 
and  deprived  of  their  civil  rights,  the  most  earn- 
est of  them  at  length  abandoned  the  unthankful 
service.  ...  If  they  intended  to  live  as  freemen, 
speaking  no  lies  and  professing  openly  the  creed 
of  the  Reformation,  they  must  seek  a  country 
where  the  long  arm  of  prelacy  was  still  too  short  to 
reach  them.  During  the  first  half  of  the  eigh- 
teenth century,  Down,  Antrim,  Tyrone,  Armagh 
and  Derry  were  emptied  of  Protestant  inhabitants, 
who  were  of  more  value  to  Ireland  than  California 
gold-mines/'  * 

Another  cause  for  the  large  emigration  from  Ire- 
land was  the  repressive  measures  adopted  by  the 
English  government  toward  commerce  and  agri- 
culture. At  first  these  industries  were  fostered  by 
the  mother-country,  and  the  encouragement,  given, 
particularly  to  the  culture  of  flax,  so  increased  the 
linen  trade  that  there  was  danger  of  Ireland  con- 
*  Froude,  vol.  i.,  pp.  129,  130. 


272  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

trolling  the  market.  When  this  became  apparent, 
England  repented  of  the  magnanimity  shown  to 
Ireland's  most  flourishing  branch  of  industry,  and 
began  at  once  "  to  invade  the  compact,"  and  by 
indirect  yet  effectual  means  to  steal  away  the  trade 
from  her  colonists  in  favor  of  her  own  people. 

A  similar  course  was  pursued  with  respect  to 
agriculture.  The  prices  at  which  the  Irish  farm- 
ers could  afford  to  put  their  crops  into  market 
excited  the  fears  of  their  English  competitors,  and 
so  restrictions  were  put  on  the  production,  in  order 
that  English  land  should  not  be  depreciated  in 
value.  "  Her  salt  meat  and  butter  were  laid  un- 
der an  embargo  when  England  went  to  war  that 
the  English  fleets  and  armies  might  be  victualed 
cheaply  at  the  expense  of  Irish  farmers."  By 
such  means  a  large  portion  of  the  people  were 
remanded  back  to  poverty  and  its  attendant  evils, 
and  were  rendered  hostile  to  the  oppressive  gov- 
ernment; and  such  of  them  as  had  property  re- 
solved to  seek  a  home  where  they  could  escape 
from  all  these  unnatural  and  unjust  discrimina- 
tions. 

But  the  arbitrary  treatment  of  tenants  by  their 
landlords  had  much  to  do  in  swelling  the  tide  of 
emigration.  At  the  time  when  the  six  counties 
of  Ireland  were  escheated  to  the  Crown,  and  a 
portion  of  the  land  placed  in  charge  of  Scotch 
colonists,  agriculture  was  in  a  low  state.  Such 
was  the  character  of  the  former  inhabitants,  and 


EMIGRATION   TO  AMERICA.  273 

the  unsettled  condition  of  the  country,  that  the 
proper  culture  of  the  soil  was  wellnigh  impossi- 
ble. A  miserable  peasantry  dragged  out  a  wretch- 
ed existence.  Great  changes,  however,  rapidly 
took  place  with  the  introduction  of  a  more  frugal 
and  industrious  class  of  farmers.  Lands  were 
cleared  and  improved  in  productiveness  through 
a  better  system  of  farming.  Mud  hovels  and 
wattled  huts  gave  place  to  commodious  home- 
steads, and  the  entire  country  showed  evidence 
of  increasing  thrift  and  comfort.  By  the  time 
the  tenants'  leases  had  expired,  the  lands  culti- 
vated by  them  had  largely  increased  in  value. 

This  excited  the  cupidity  of  the  landlords.  Un- 
willing to  share  the  benefits  with  the  farmers,  and 
only  to  raise  their  rents  in  a  moderate  degree,  they 
extorted  from  them  all  they  possibly  could,  irrespec- 
tive of  their  improvements  and  what  the  tenants 
had  done  to  make  the  property  valuable.  Instead 
of  an  effort  to  reach  an  arrangement  which  would 
have  been  just  to  both  parties,  the  landlords,  as  soon 
as  the  leases  expired,  invited  proposals  in  writing 
for  the  leasing  of  their  lands.  This  was  an  invi- 
tation to  every  covetous  and  malicious  person  to 
bid  for  the  possession  of  his  neighbor's  improve- 
ments. Catholics  stood  ready  to  bid  more  than 
their  value,  and  to  promise  anything  in  the  way 
of  rent,  in  order  to  recover  their  hold  upon  the  soil. 
Thus  the  stupid  selfishness  of  the  landlords  expelled 
their  Protestant  tenantry  by  letting  the  land  over 
is 


274  SCOTCH  AND   IRISH  SEEDS. 

their  heads   to   Romanists,   and  at  once   a   whole 
countryside    were  driven    from  their    habitations. 

As  the  landlords  were  sustained  in  this  oppres- 
sion by  the  House  of  Commons,  the  Protestants  had 
no  hope  of  redress,  and  therefore  hastened  to  leave 
a  country  in  which  they  had  been  so  cruelly  dealt 
with.  "  In  the  two  years/'  says  Froude,  "  which 
followed  the  Antrim  evictions,  thirty  thousand 
Protestants  left  Ulster  for  a  land  where  there  was 
no  legal  robbery,  and  where  those  who  sowed  the 
seed  could  reap  the  harvest.  .  .  .  The  south  and 
west  were  caught  by  the  same  movement,  and  ships 
could  not  be  found  to  carry  the  crowds  who  were 
eager  to  go." 

Similar  testimony  is  borne  by  many  other  writers 
to  the  unprecedented  exodus  of  the  Protestants  of 
Ireland,  induced  by  the  causes  which  have  been 
described.  Early  in  the  year  1718  a  minister  in 
Ulster  wrote  to  a  friend  in  Scotland,  "There  is 
like  to  be  a  great  desolation  in  the  northern  parts 
of  this  kingdom  by  the  removal  of  several  of  our 
brethren  to  the  American  plantations.  Not  less 
than  six  ministers  have  demitted  their  congrega- 
tions, and  great  numbers  of  their  people  go  with 
them ;  so  that  we  are  daily  alarmed  with  both 
ministers  and  people  going  off." 

The  tide  of  emigration  was  somewhat  checked 
for  a  brief  period  by  the  passage  of  the  Toleration 
Act,  and  by  further  promises  of  relief.  It,  however, 
began  anew   in  1728,  ten  years  later,  as  appears 


EMIGRATION  TO  AMERICA  275 

from  a  statement  which  Archbishop  Boulter  sent  to 
the  English  Secretary  of  State,  and  which  he  calls 
a  "  melancholy  account"  of  the  condition  of  the 
north,  and  of  the  extensive  emigration  which  was 
taking  place  to  America :  "  We  have  had  for 
several  years  some  agents  from  the  colonies  in 
America,  and  several  masters  of  ships,  that  have 
gone  about  the  country  and  deluded  the  people 
with  stories  of  great  plenty  and  estates  to  be  had 
for  going  for  in  those  parts  of  the  world  ;  and 
they  have  been  the  better  able  to  seduce  people  by 
reason  of  the  necessities  of"  the  poor  of  late."  He 
proceeds  to  assign  reasons  why  the  people  desire  to 
leave  the  country,  and  then  adds:  "But  whatever 
occasions  their  going,  it  is  certain  that  above  four 
thousand  two  hundred  men,  women  and  children 
have  been  shipped  off  from  hence  for  the  West 
Indies  within  three  years,  and  of  these  about  thir- 
ty-one hundred  this  last  summer.  .  .  .  The  whole 
north  is  in  a  ferment  at  present,  and  people  every 
day  engaging  one  another  to  go.  The  humor  has 
spread  like  a  contagious  distemper,  and  the  people 
will  hardly  hear  anybody  that  tries  to  cure  them  of 
their  madness.  The  worst  is  that  it  affects  only 
Protestants  and  reigns  chiefly  in  the  north."  In 
a  private  letter  the  following  year  the  bishop  states 
that  "  the  humor  of  going  to  America  still  con- 
tinues. There  are  now  seven  ships  at  Belfast 
that  are  carrying  off  about  one  thousand  passen- 
gers thither." 


276  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

James  Logan,  who  at  this  period  was  president  of 
the  Proprietary  Council  of  Pennsylvania  and  iden- 
tified with  the  Quakers,  and  who  was  unfriendly  to 
the  emigrants  arriving  from  Ireland,  states  that  it 
is  "  the  common  fear  that  if  they  [the  Scotch-Irish] 
continue  to  come,  they  will  make  themselves  pro- 
prietors of  the  province."  He  further,  in  1729, 
expresses  "  himself  glad  to  find  that  the  Parliament 
is  about  to  take  measures  to  prevent  their  too  free 
emigration  to  this  country.  It  looks  as  if  Ireland 
is  to  send  all  her  inhabitants  thither ;  for  last  week 
not  less  than  six  ships  arrived,  and  every  day  two 
or  three  arrive  also."  Another  authority  states 
that  in  1729  "there  arrived  in  Pennsylvania  from 
Europe  six  thousand  two  hundred  and  eight  per- 
sons, and  of  these  more  than  five  thousand  were 
from  Ireland."  Dr.  Baird,  in  his  History  of  Re- 
ligion in  America,  states  that  "from  1729  to  1750 
about  twelve  thousand  annually  came  from  Ulster 
to  America." 

These  emigrants  entered  the  country  mainly  at 
the  ports  of  Boston,  Philadelphia  and  Charleston. 
Those  landing  at  Boston  settled  chiefly  in  Maine, 
New  Hampshire  and  Massachusetts.  Previous  to 
this  period,  and,  in  fact,  from  the  first  settlement  of 
New  England,  a  large  number  of  Presbyterians 
had  found  homes  in  its  several  colonies.  Cotton 
Mather  tells  us  "  that  previous  to  the  year  1640 
four  thousand  Presbyterians  had  arrived."  Writing 
a  few  years  later,  he  says :  "  We  are  comforted  with 


EMIGRATION   TO  AMERICA.  ^77 

great  numbers  of  the  oppressed   brethren  coming 

from  the  north  of  Ireland.  The  glorious  provi- 
dence of  God,  in  the  removal  of  so  many  of  a 
desirable  character  from  the  north  of  Ireland, 
hath  doubtless  very  great  intentions  in  it."  Others 
estimate  the  number  of  Presbyterian  colonists  in 
New  England  as  high  as  twenty-two  thousand. 
These  it  is  difficult  to  designate,  as  they  united 
largely  with  Congregationalisms  in  public  worship, 
on  the  terms  of  union  that  had  been  agreed  upon  in 
London  prior  to  1640  ;  which  union  Mather  states 
"  existed  between  these  parties  almost  from  the  first 
settlement  of  the  country."  The  evidence  of  this 
union  and  the  influence  of  this  Presbyterian  ele- 
ment are  seen  in  the  fact  that  the  early  churches  of 
Salem,  Charleston,  Boston  and  elsewhere  in  New 
England  had  ruling  elders,  while  in  1640  and  in 
1680  respectively  all  the  ministers  and  elders  from 
each  church  met  in  synod  at  Cambridge,  and  by 
distinct  act  recognized  the  Presbyterian  form  of 
church  government. 

Xor  need  there  be  any  surprise  expressed  at 
the  synod's  action,  for,  independent  of  the  leaven- 
ing influence  of  Presbyterianism  upon  the  churches, 
the  form  of  order  of  the  church  of  Leyden,  the 
mother-church  of  the  Plymouth  colony,  was  the 
same  as  that  of  the  French  Presbyterian  churches. 
Plymouth  was  modeled  after  Leyden,  and  the 
constitution  of  the  Plymouth  church  was  copied 
by  all  the  other  churches. 


^78  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

Presbyterians,  in  comparatively  limited  num- 
bers, also  settled  in  New  England  at  the  period 
when  the  largest  emigration  took  place  from  Ire- 
land. In  1719,  Derry  was  settled,  and  subse- 
quently congregations  were  organized  at  Pelham 
and  Boston,  Massachusetts,  and  a  presbytery  was 
formed  in  1745,  and  a  synod,  consisting  of  three 
presbyteries,  in  1775  at  Seabrook.  Presbyterian- 
ism,  however,  never  acquired  much  strength,  owing 
probably  to  the  plan  of  union,  and  many  of  the 
Presbyterian  settlers  subsequently  found  their  way 
into  Pennsylvania,  and  helped  to  swell  the  tide 
which  was  pouring  into  that  State  through  the 
port  of  Philadelphia. 

These  immigrants  first  occupied  the  eastern  and 
middle  counties  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  adjoin- 
ing regions  of  Delaware  and  Maryland.  Such  as 
landed  at  more  southern  ports  located  themselves 
on  the  fertile  lands  of  North  and  South  Carolina 
and  Georgia,  and  were  afterward  joined  by  large 
numbers  of  their  brethren  who  had  originally 
settled  in  the  more  northern  provinces.  Owing 
to  the  rapid  increase  of  emigration  and  the  occu- 
pancy of  the  best  farming-lands  in  central  Penn- 
sylvania, many  of  the  Scotch-Irish  in  the  latter 
State  were  led  to  turn  their  steps  southward,  and 
found  homes  for  their  families  in  the  fertile  val- 
leys of  Virginia.  At  a  later  period  western 
Pennsylvania  was  occupied  by  the  descendants 
of  the  settlers  in  the  middle  counties  of  the  State, 


EMIGRATION   TO  AMERICA.  279 

find  those  of   tlie   more  southern   colonies   passed 

westward  to  the  country  then  called  "  between  the 
mountains/'  now  known  as  Kentucky  and  Ten- 
nessee. From  these  points  of  radiation  the  Scotch- 
Irish  have  extended  to  all  parts  of  the  Union,  and 
being  an  intelligent,  resolute  and  energetic  people 
have  left  their  impress  upon  the  institutions  of 
all  the  States  where  they  have  settled. 

Referring  to  this  great  exodus  from  the  north 
of  Ireland,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Foote,  the  historian  of 
Virginia  and  North  Carolina,  says:  "In  the  early 
part  of  the  eighteenth  century  the  emigration  be- 
gan, and,  like  the  mighty  rivers  in  the  New  World, 
went  on  in  a  widening  and  deepening  current  to 
pour  into  the  vast  forests  of  America  multitudes 
of  hardy,  enterprising  people.  All  the  colonies 
from  New  York  southward  were  enriched  by  ship- 
loads of  these  people,  that  came  with  little  money, 
but  with  strong  hands  and  stout  hearts  and  divine 
principles,  to  improve  .their  own  condition  and  bless 
the  province  that  gave  them  a  home."  Many  of 
these  voluntary  exiles  landed  at  Philadelphia,  and 
after  a  short  stay  with  their  friends  and  country- 
men in  Pennsylvania,  removed  to  the  inviting  val- 
ley of  Virginia,  or  the  more  distant  banks  of  the 
Catawba  in  the  Carolinas.  It  thus  came  to  paes 
that  "  in  the  southern  part  of  the  valley  of  Vir- 
ginia and  in  the  Mesopotamia*  of  North  Carolina 
and   large  districts  of  South  Carolina,  the  Scotch- 

*  The  countrv  between  the  Catawba  nnd  Y.idkin  Rn  • 


280  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

Irish  had  the  pre-eminence  both  in  time  and  num- 
bers/' 

With  very  rare  exceptions,  these  colonists  were 
Protestants,  and  were  either  communicants  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church  or  strongly  attached  to  its 
doctrines  and  polity.  Families  generally  united 
in  forming  settlements,  fixing  their  residences 
sufficiently  near  each  other  to  furnish  mutual  help 
and  protection  from  the  savage  foes  who  lurked 
in  the  surrounding  forests,  to  gratify  their  social 
feelings,  and  to  enjoy  the  privileges  of  religious 
worship.  Wherever  they  formed  a  settlement, 
among  the  first  things  they  did,  after  providing  a 
shelter  for  their  families,  was  to  organize  congre- 
gations for  Christian  worship  and  erect  a  taberna- 
cle to  the  Lord.  This  being  their  custom,  we  are 
not  surprised  to  learn  that  in  a  decade  from  the 
time  that  these  pioneer  emigrants  ventured  into 
the  valley  of  Virginia,  there  were  at  least  twelve 
Presbyterian  congregations  organized.  In  an- 
swer to  their  earnest  appeal,  the  synod  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  appointed  two  of  its  mem- 
bers to  visit  them  and  to  secure  for  them  the  favor 
of  the  governor,  in  order  that  they  might  enjoy 
their  own  methods  of  worship.  And  about  the  same 
period  Samuel  Blair,  writing  respecting  a  particu- 
lar congregation,  adds,  "  All  our  congregations  in 
Pennsylvania,  except  two  or  three,  chiefly  are 
made  up  of  people  from  that  kingdom"  (Ireland). 

We    have    dwelt    thus    particularly    upon    the 


EMIGRATION  TO  AMERICA.  281 

extensive  emigration  from  the  north  of  Ireland 
because  of  the  influence  which  it  exerted  on  the 
Presbyterian  Church  of  this  country.  It  gave  a 
sudden  impulse  to  its  growth.  As  we  have  seen, 
the  emigration  was  so  general  that  frequently,  when 
pastors  sought  relief  from  the  hindrances  to  which 
their  ministry  was  subjected,  they  were  accompa- 
nied to  the  New  World  by  nearly  their  entire 
congregations,  or  were  afterward  joined  by  them 
in  their  voluntary  exile.  Thus  they  brought  with 
them  the  framework  of  Christian  institutions,  ready 
to  be  set  up  on  landing  on  these  Western  shores, 
and  these  emigrants  gave  bone  and  muscle  to  the 
religious  body,  the  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which 
they  became  at  once  members. 

As  was  most  natural,  when  these  colonists,  to- 
gether with  their  ministers,  came  to  organize  the 
churches,  they  adopted  the  same  system  of  church 
order  and  government  with  which  they  were  famil- 
iar at  home,  and  to  which  they  were  so  strongly 
attached.  All  the  essential  elements  of  presby- 
tery, parity  of  the  clergy,  the  office  of  ruling  ciders, 
with  their  clearly  defined  duties,  and  the  province 
and  obligations  of  the  "  kirk  session/'  from  whose 
decisions  an  appeal  could  be  taken  to  the  higher 
court,  were  principles  of  church  government  well 
known  to  them.  When  Presbyterianism  had  ex- 
tended over  a  wide  extent  of  territory,  and  ques- 
tions of  common  interest  and  importance  had  to 
be  considered  and  deeided,  the  formation  of  synods, 


282  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

and  finally  of  a  General  Assembly,  naturally  an< 
necessarily  followed. 

The  mode  of  worship  in  use  in  Scotland  and 
Ireland  was  also  introduced  wherever  churches 
were  formed,  great  care  being  taken  in  defining 
the  limits  of  each  congregation  or  parish.  The 
Bible  and  the  catechism  held  an  honored  place  in 
the  instruction  of  youth  in  their  schools  and  in 
their  families.  On  the  Sabbath  all  the  members 
of  the  household  were  regularly  assembled,  and 
parents,  children  and  servants  recited  the  cate- 
chism. This  was  followed  by  explanations  of 
the  precepts  and  doctrines  contained  therein,  and 
finally  the  duty  of  obedience  was  enforced  by  show- 
ing that  its  doctrines  were  derived  from  the  Scrip- 
tures and  conformed  strictly  to  their  teachings. 

A  portion  of  the  congregation  was  assigned  to 
each  elder,  whose  duty  it  was  to  look  after  the  spir- 
itual interests  of  the  people  in  that  particular  field. 
The  pastor,  accompanied  with  one  or  more  of  his 
elders,  was  accustomed  to  meet  his  people  frequent- 
ly, either  at  a  private  house  or  in  some  other  conve- 
nient place,  in  different  parts  of  the  congregation, 
to  hear  them  recite  the  catechism,  and  to  address  to 
them  words  of  Christian  counsel  and  admonition. 
In  this  way,  and  largely  through  the  fidelity  of  the 
eldership,  impressions  made  by  the  preaching  on 
the  Sabbath  were  rendered  permanent  and  fruit- 
ful. As  a  consequence,  also,  of  this  method  of 
instruction,  the   members  of   the  several  churches 


EMIGRATION  TO  AMERICA.  288 

were  intelligent  Christians,  well  grounded  in  the 
Scriptures,  not  tossed  about  by  every  wind  of 
doctrine,  and  able  to  give  a  reason  for  the  hope 
that  was  in  them. 

During  the  early  history  of  Presbyterian  ism  in 
this  country,  it  was  common  for  presbyteries  to 
appoint  committees  to  visit  congregations,  who  were 
to  question  the  pastor  as  to  how  fully  and  con- 
scientiously he  had  discharged  all  his  duties  to  his 
flock;  how  the  elders  had  met  the  responsibilities 
of  their  office;  and  how  his  people  had  attended 
upon  the  preached  word  and  the  ordinances  of  the 
Church;  and  whether  they  had  fulfilled  to  him 
the  pecuniary  obligations  they  had  voluntarily 
assumed.  Very  similar  questions  were  asked  sep- 
arately of  each  of  these  parties,  and  all  complaints 
and  causes  of  dissatisfaction  were  investigated,  and, 
if  possible,  amicably  arranged. 

Twice  a  year  the  Lord's  Supper  was  celebrated. 
Previous  to  it  a  day  of  fasting  was  observed,  and 
appropriate  sermons  were  preached  on  the  three 
days  preceding  the  Sabbath,  by  the  pastor  or  neigh- 
boring ministers.  Members  of  adjacent  congrega- 
tions generally  attended  in  large  numbers.  On 
these  occasions  the  preaching  was  often  in  the  open 
air,  as  the  congregations  were  too  large  to  be  accom- 
modated in  the  church.  These  seasons  were  an- 
ticipated with  much  interest,  and  were  frequently 
accompanied  with  wonderful  manifestations  of  the 
presence  and  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.     The  em- 


284  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

blems  were  spread  upon  long  tables,  which  extend- 
ed oftentimes  through  all  the  aisles  of  the  church 
from  the  pulpit  to  the  doors.  At  these  tables  the 
communicants  were  seated,  none  being  admitted  to 
this  privilege  unless  they  had  previously  received 
tokens*  from  their  pastor  or  the  session.  To  them 
the  "  Lord's  Supper  was  in  its  fullest  sense  a  mon- 
ument of  the  great  facts  of  redemption,  a  memorial 
of  the  necessity  of  atonement,  the  glorious  deity 
of  the  Son  of  God,  the  freeness  of  justification  and 
the  fullness  of  the  promises.  The  mode  in  which 
it  was  administered  rendered  it  necessary  that  the 
highest  truths,  the  loftiest  themes,  should  be 
preached,  and  with  unction.  Those  were  golden 
days,  when  the  preacher  spoke  in  the  demonstration 
of  the  Spirit  and  with  power,  and  when  souls 
were  enlightened  by  the  knowledge  of  the  grace 
of  Christ.  " 

So  large  an  emigration,  and  of  such  a  character, 
as  flowed  into  the  Middle  and  Southern  States  for 
nearly  half  a  century,  could  not  fail  to  exert  a  pow- 
erful and  lasting  influence  upon  the  Presbyterianism 
of  this  country.  For  the  most  part,  these  colonists 
had  been  tillers  of  the  soil  in  their  native  lands, 
and  on  their  arrival  on  our  shores  went  immediate- 
ly to  work  to  make  homes  for  their  families  upon 

*  The  tokens  were  small  pieces  of  lead  or  spelter,  and  usually 
had  the  initial  letter  of  the  church  stamped  upon  them.  They 
were  carried  by  communicants  to  neighboring  churches  when 
thev  desired  to  commune. 


EMIGRATION  TO  AMERICA.  285 

the  fertile  lands,  which  only  needed  the  wise  and 
persistent  labors  of  these  sons  of  toil  to  cause  them 
to  yield  abundant  harvests.  They  did  not  come  as 
criminals  fleeing  from  justice,  or  paupers  to  fasten 
themselves  for  support  upon  the  industries  of  the 
country,  but  with  money  enough — the  result  of 
their  previous  energy  and  thrift — to  purchase  the 
choicest  of  the  lands.  As  a  consequence,  prosper- 
ity attended  their  well-directed  endeavors  ;  plenty 
ere  long  smiled  around  their  happy  households; 
churches  and  schools  at  once  took  their  proper 
places  and  flourished  in  all  their  settlements ;  and 
society  received  an  impress  which  it  retains  to  the 
present  day. 


FOREIGN  MINISTERS  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN 
CHURCH  IN  AMERICA,  1681-1758. 


CHAPTER    X. 

Foreign  Ministers  in  America. 

Much  the  largest  proportion  of  the  early  Pres- 
byterian ministers  in  this  country  were  from  the 
Irish  Church.  They,  however,  were  originally 
either  natives  of  Scotland  or  descendants  of  those 
who  had  removed  to  Ireland,  and,  with  few  ex- 
ceptions, were  educated  in  Scotland.  Webster  states 
that  nearly  two-thirds  of  the  ministers  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  in  America,  previous  to  1738,  were 
graduates  of  Glasgow  University.  It  is  now  im- 
possible, from  accessible  records,  to  determine  the 
nationality  of  all  these  ministers,  so  intimate  was 
the  intercourse  between  Scotland  and  the  north  of 
Ireland,  and  so  constant  were  the  accessions  from 
both  these  churches  to  the  ministry  in  this  country. 
We  shall,  therefore,  not  attempt  this  distinction,  but 
content  ourselves  with  giving,  in  the  limited  space 
at  our  command,  the  names  of  the  clergymen,  the 
time  of  their  arrival  in  America,  the  places  of 
their  ministry,  and,  in  some  few  instances,  the 
character  and  results  of  their  labors.     Even  this 


FOREIGN  MTNISTERS  M  AMERICA.       287 

hare  recital  we  believe  will  be  sufficient  to  secure 
the  conviction  of  the  importance  of  the  services 
they  rendered  not  only  to  Presbyterianism,  but 
likewise  to  civil  and  religious  liberty,  in  the 
land  of  their  adoption. 

Francis  Makemie,  to  whom  the  honor  has 
been  ascribed*  of  laying  the  foundations  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  this  country,  was  born  in 
the  county  of  Donegal,  Ireland,  educated  in  a 
Scotch  university,  and  licensed  in  1681  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Lagan.  An  application  from  Mary- 
land for  a  minister  to  settle  in  that  colony  led  the 
Presbytery  to  ordain  him  as  an  evangelist  for 
America.  Arriving  in  this  country,  by  way  of 
Barbadoes,  either  in  1682  or  1683,  he  organized  a 
church  at  Snow  Hill,  Maryland,  in  1684,  which 
was,  so  far  as  now  known,  the  first  regularly  or- 
ganized Presbyterian  church  in  America.  The 
Eastern  Shore  of  Maryland  and  the  adjacent  coun- 
ties of  Virginia  continued  to  be  his  principal  field 
of  labor,  though  he  extended  his  journeys  at  times 
as  far  south  as  the  Carolinas.  Over  all  this  region 
he  performed  with  great  fidelity  the  duties  of  a 
primitive  bishop,  organizing  a  number  of  churches 

*  "  Rev.  Richard  Denton,  a  graduate  of  the  University  of 
Cambridge,  had  charge  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Hemp- 
stead, Long  Island,  from  1644  to  1658,  when  he  returned  to 
England." — Rev.  P.  D.  Oakley,  in  the  "New  York  Observer." 

If  this  statement  can  be  fully  established — and  the  evidence 
adduced  is  very  strong — then  must  Rev.  Mr.  Denton  be  re- 
garded as  the  first  regular  Presbyterian  minister  in  this  country. 


288  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

and  supplying  them,  so  far  as  he  could,  with  preach 
ing.  Feeling  the  need  of  help,  he  opened  corre- 
spondence with  Boston  and  London  in  order  tc 
obtain  aid  for  destitute  places,  and  made  two  jour- 
neys to  England,  returning  in  1705  with  two  min- 
isterial brethren.  In  1705  or  1706  he  assisted  in 
forming  the  first  presbytery,  that  of  Philadelphia, 
consisting  of  seven  ministers ;  and  afterward  con- 
tinued until  his  death  (1708)  actively  and  usefully 
engaged  in  missionary-tours  among  the  destitute 
settlers,  in  gathering  congregations  and  furnishing 
them  with  competent  ministers,  thus  exerting  an  ex- 
tensive influence  in  behalf  of  Presbyterianism  in  the 
entire  region.  He  is  represented  as  "  indefatigable 
in  effort,  clear-sighted  and  sagacious  in  his  views, 
fearless  in  the  discharge  of  duty,  a  man  of  eminent 
piety  and  of  strong  intellectual  powers." 

Samuel  Davis  was  the  next  minister,  in  point  of 
time,  to  Makemie.  He  preached  at  Lewes,  Dela- 
ware, and  afterward  at  Snow  Hill,  Maryland,  and 
was  moderator  of  Philadelphia  presbytery  in  1709. 
John  Frazer  and  Archibald  Riddel  came  to  Amer- 
ica 1685 ;  the  former  preached  at  Woodbury, 
Connecticut,  the  latter  at  Woodbridge,  New  Jer- 
sey. David  Simpson  and  John  Wilson  arrived 
1686,  and  the  latter  was  settled  at  New  Castle, 
Delaware.  George  MacNish  accompanied  Make- 
mie on  his  return  from  England  in  1705,  and 
labored  at  Monokin  and  Wicomico,  Maryland, 
settling  at  Jamaica,  Long  Island,  where  he  was 


FOREIGN  MINISTERS  IS  AMERICA.       289 

instrumental  in  forming,  1717,  the  Presbytery  of 
Long  Island.  John  Hampton,  the  other  associate 
ofMakemie  in  labor  and  in  imprisonment  by  Lord 
Cornbury  for  preaching  without  a  license,  was  pas- 
tor at  Snow  Hill,  Maryland. 

Josias  Mackie  labored  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a 
century  in  Virginia;  John  Boyd,  1706,  pastor 
at  Freehold  and  Middletown  ;  James  Anderson, 
1709,  pastor  at  New  Castle,  Delaware,  and  then 
in  New  York  city;  John  Henry,  1709,  was  the 
successor  of  Makemie ;  George  Gillespie,  1712, 
pastor  first  at  Woodbridge,  New  Jersey,  and 
then  at  White  Clay  Creek,  Delaware;  Robert 
Lawson,  1713;  Robert  Witherspoon,  1714,  labored 
in  Delaware;  John  Bradner,  1714,  pastor  at  Cape 
May,  New  Jersey,  and  Goshen,  New  York ;  Hugh 
Conn,  1715,  pastor  at  Patapsco  and  Bladensburg, 
Maryland;  Samuel  Gelston,  1715,  labored  at  Kent, 
Delaware,  in  Virginia,  and  as  pastor  at  South 
Hampton,  Long  Island;  John  Thomson,  1715, 
preached  at  Lewes,  Delaware,  Middle  Ootorara 
and  Chestnut  Level,  Pennsylvania,  and  removed 
in  1744  to  Virginia;  he  took  a  prominent  part 
at  the  division  of  the  synod,  being  the  originator 
of  the  overture  which  resulted  in  the  adopting 
act.  His  Explication  of  the  Shorter  Catechism,* 
his  treatise  on  the  Government  of  the  Church  and 
his  sermons  on  Conviction  and  Assurance  are  pro- 

*  The  only  known  copy  is  in  the  possession  of  Rev.  B.  M. 
Smith,  professor  in  Hampden-Sidney  College,  Va. 


290  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

nounced  to  be  as  "able,  learned,  judicious  and 
evangelical  as  any  of  the  writings  of  Dickinson 
and   Blair." 

William  Tennent,  1716,  was  orginally  a  deacon 
in  the  Established  Church  of  Ireland;  he  left  it  on 
account  of  conscientious  scruples,  and  coming  to 
America  was  received  by  the  presbytery  of  Phil- 
adelphia. First  settled  at  East  Chester,  New 
York,  then  at  Bensalem  and  Smithfield,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  in  1726  at  Neshaminy.  Here  he 
established  the  celebrated  "  Log  College,"  and 
made  it  his  great  lifework  to  educate  young  men 
for  the  Presbyterian  ministry.  In  it  some  of  the 
very  best  men  of  the  Church  were  educated — men 
eminent  alike  for  learning  and  piety.  He  was  a 
warm  personal  friend  and  admirer  of  Whitefieldj 
and  a  zealous  promoter  of  revivals. 

Robert  Cross,  1717,  pastor  at  New  Castle,  Del- 
aware, and  colleague  pastor  to  Jedediah  Andrews 
in  Philadelphia,  where  he  was  the  leader  of  the 
Old  Side  party  and  author  of  the  protest  that 
divided  the  synod.  James  Macgregor,  1719, 
came  to  Boston  with  one  hundred  families  who 
had  been  connected  with  his  church  in  Ireland. 
These  settled  near  Haverhill,  calling  the  place 
Londonderry,  and  electing  Mr.  Macgregor  as 
their  pastor.  Many  regard  this  as  the  first  Pres- 
byterian church  in  New  England,  and  it  grew 
rapidly  under  his  able  ministry.  Though  but  a 
youth  at  the  time,  he  was  among  the  brave  de- 


FOREIGN  MINISTERS  IX  AMERICA.       291 

fenders  of  Londonderry,  Ireland,  and  discharged 
from  the  tower  of  the  cathedral  the  large  gun 
which  announced  the  approach  of  the  relief  ves- 
sels. Robert  Laing,  1722,  supplied  Snow  Hill, 
Maryland,  and  Brandy  wine  and  White  Clay  Creek, 
Delaware;  Alexander  Hutcheson,  1722,  supply  at 
Drawers,  Delaware,  and  pastor  of  Bohemia  Manor 
and  Broad  Creek  churches,  Maryland  ;  Thomas 
Craighead,  1723,  pastor  of  White  Clay  Creek,  Del- 
aware, then  at  Pequa  and  Big  Spring,  Pennsylva- 
nia; Joseph  Houston,  1724,  preached  first  at  New 
London,  Connecticut,  then  pastor  of  a  church  on 
Elk  River,  Maryland,  and  finally  pastor  at  Wal- 
kill,  New  York;  Adam  Boyd,  1725,  pastor  of  Oc- 
torara  and  Pequa  churches,  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  labored  for  forty-four  years. 

Gilbert  Tennent  came  with  his  father  to  this 
country  in  1716,  and  was  installed  pastor  at  New 
Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  1726,  where  he  remained 
sixteen  years.  He  accompanied  Whitefield  in  1740 
on  a  preaching-tour  to  Boston,  which  they  extend- 
ed as  far  north  as  New  Hampshire  and  Maine,  and 
which  was  attended  with  great  religious  interest. 
He  accepted  a  call  to  a  new  congregation  in  Phila- 
delphia that  had  been  formed  of  Mr.  Whitefield's 
admirers  in  1743,  where  he  passed  the  residue  of 
his  life,  twenty  years,  endeared  to  all  by  reason  of 
his  loving  and  compassionate  nature.  Few  equaled 
him  as  a  preacher.  John  Tennent,  the  third  son 
of  William  Tennent,  Sr.,  was  licensed   1729,  and 


292  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

ordained  pastor  of  the  church  of  Freehold,  New 
Jersey,  1730,  where  he  passed  his  brief  ministry 
of  three  and  one- half  years,  eminently  success- 
ful in  winning  souls  to  Christ.  John  Moorhead, 
1729,  came  to  Boston,  where  he  had  charge  for 
forty-four  years  of  the  "Church  of  Presbyterian 
Strangers,"  and  where  his  labors  were  attended 
with  great  success;  James  Campbell,  1730,  labored 
in  Pennsylvania  and  North  Carolina ;  John  Cross, 
1732,  minister  at  Baskinridge,  New  Jersey,  was  a 
great  promoter  of  revivals ;  and  John  Campbell, 
1734,  labored  in  Pennsylvania. 

William  Tennent  was  installed  pastor  of  his 
brother's  congregation  at  Freehold,  New  Jersey, 
where  he  remained  until  his  death,  1777,  occa- 
sionally making  preaching-tours  into  Maryland, 
Virginia  and  New  York.  His  ministry  was 
attended  with  frequent  revivals,  and  resulted  in 
the  establishment  of  a  number  of  churches.  He 
was  an  earnest  and  active  patriot,  and  zealous  in 
resisting  the  aggressions  of  the  enemy. 

Samuel  Blair,  1733,  accepted  a  call  to  Middleton, 
New  Jersey,  where  he  remained  until  1739,  and 
then  removed  to  Fagg's  Manor,  Pennsylvania. 
Here  he  established  a  celebrated  classical  school. 
He  was  distinguished  as  a  preacher  for  solemnity 
and  impressiveness.  President  Davies  refers  to 
him  "as  the  incomparable  Blair,"  and  stated  that 
in  his  travels  in  England  he  had  not  heard  his 
superior.     His  published  writings  were  seven  ser- 


FOREIGN  MINISTERS  J.\  AMERICA.       293 

moos,  three  of  them  on  Justification,  a  Vindication 
of  the  Excluded  Brethren,  an  answer  to  John  Thom- 
son on  the  Government  of  the  Church,  and  to  Alex- 
ander Craighead's  Reasons  for  Forsaking  our 
Church,  also  a  Treatise  on  Predestination. 

Alexander  Craighead,  1734,  pastor  of  Middle 
Oetorara,  from  whence  he  removed  to  Virginia, 
1749,  and  then  to  North  Carolina,  where  he  passed 
the  remainder  of  his  days  in  the  active  duties  of 
the  ministry ;  was  an  earnest,  fervid  preacher 
and  a  zealous  promoter  of  revivals.  His  ardent 
love  of  personal  liberty,  and  his  advanced  views 
on  civil  government  and  religious  liberty,  made 
him  obnoxious  to  the  civil  governors  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  Virginia,  and  led  to  his  removal  to 
North  Carolina,  where  he  became  an  "  apostle  of 
liberty,"*  to  whom  "the  people  of  Mecklenburg 
county  are  indebted  for  that  training  which  placed 
them  in  the  forefront  of  American  patriots  and 
heroes." 

Francis  Alison,  1735,  was  pastor  of  New  Lon- 
don, Pennsylvania,  for  fifteen  years,  where  he  es- 
tablished a  classical  school,  which  in  1744  was 
taken  under  the  care  of  synod.  He  removed  to 
Philadelphia  in  1752,  where  he  took  charge  of  an 
academy,  which  in  1755  was  erected  into  a  college, 
of  which  he  was  vice-provost  and  professor  of  moral 
philosophy.  He  had  the  reputation  of  bein^  the 
best  scholar  then  in  America  ;  acted  at  the  same  time 
*  Rev  Dr.  Miller  of  Charlotte. 


294  S(  OTCH  AND   IRISH  SEEDS. 

as  assistant  pastor  of  the  First  church,  and  had 
great  influence  in  all  the  judicatories  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church.  John  Elder,  1736,  was  installed 
pastor  of  Paxton  and  Derry  churches,  Pennsylvania, 
J  738,  where  he  continued  for  more  than  half  a 
century,  sharing  with  his  people  the  hardships  and 
exposures  of  their  frontier-life.  He  superintended 
the  military  discipline  of  his  people,  and  acted  as 
their  captain  in  their  warfare  with  surrounding 
savage  foes.  His  ability  and  experience  in  this 
frontier  warfare  led  to  his  receiving  a  commission 
as  colonel  in  the  colonial  service,  and  to  his  be- 
ing placed  in  command  of  the  blockhouses  and 
stockades  from  the  Susquehanna  to  Easton ;  he 
was  respected  and  beloved  by  his  congregations, 
and  very  useful  as  a  minister. 

John  Craig,  1737,  labored  first  in  Maryland,  and 
then  in  Western  Virginia.  He  was  installed  pastor 
of  the  congregations  of  Augusta  and  Tinkling 
Spring,  and  was  the  first  Presbyterian  minister  set- 
tled in  Virginia.  His  congregations  extended  over 
a  territory  thirty  miles  long  by  nearly  twTenty  broad, 
and  suffered  greatly  in  the  French-and-Indian  war. 
By  precept  and  example  he  encouraged  his  people 
to  resist  their  enemies,  which  they  did  successfully, 
and  from  these  congregations  went  forth  many 
hardy  soldiers  to  fight  in  the  various  Indian 
wars  and  in  that  of  the  Revolution.  His  memory 
is  held  in  the  highest  veneration  by  the  descend- 


FOREIGN  MINISTERS  IN  AMERICA.       295 

ants  of  those  to  whom  he  preached  for  thirty-four 

years. 

Charles  Beatty  came  to  this  country  in  1729, 
and  was  installed,  1743,  pastor  at  Neshaminy,  as 
successor  of  Mr.  Tennent,  where  his  entire  min- 
istry was  spent.  His  services  as  a  missionary  to 
visit  the  frontier  settlements  and  to  ascertain  the 
condition  of  the  Indian  tribes,  and  also  in  connec- 
tion with  the  fund  for  the  relief  of  destitute  min- 
isters, were  of  the  most  important  character.  He 
was  an  active  patriot,  and  served  as  chaplain  of 
the  provincial  forces  raised  to  defend  the  frontier. 

John  Blair,  brother  of  Samuel  Blair,  was 
settled,  1742-1748,  as  pastor  in  Pennsylvania, 
during  which  period  he  made  two  visits  to  Vir- 
ginia, preaching  with  great  power  in  various  places 
and  organizing  several  churches.  His  next  pas- 
torate was  Fagg's  Manor,  Pennsylvania,  from 
whence  he  was  called  to  the  professorship  of 
divinity  at  Nassau  Hall,  in  connection  with  the 
duties  of  vice-president  of  the  college,  and  served 
as  president  until  Dr.  Witherspoon'a  arrival.  His 
last  pastoral  charge  was  at  Walkill,  New  York. 
He  was  a  judicious  and  persuasive  preacher,  and 
eminently  successful  in  the  conversion  of  the  im- 
penitent.    He  published  several   works. 

Samuel  Finley,  D.  D.,  was  pastor  of  the  church 
at  Nottingham,  Maryland,  for  seventeen  years, 
where  he  founded  an  academy  to  prepare  young 
men  for  the  ministry,  which  acquired  a  great   rep- 


296  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

utation.  He  was  an  accomplished  scholar  and 
teacher.  At  the  death  of  President  Davies,  of 
Nassau  Hall,  he  was  chosen  his  successor,  and  his 
administration  proved  of  great  advantage  to  the 
college.  He  was  a  distinguished  pulpit  orator. 
His  learning  was  extensive,  every  branch  of  study 
taught  in  the  college  being  familiar  to  him.  The 
degree  of  doctor  of  divinity  was  conferred  on 
him  by  the  University  of  Glasgow.  John  Roan 
was  licensed,  1744,  and  sent  on  a  missionary-tour 
to  Virginia,  where  great  numbers  were  converted 
under  his  preaching.  Returning  to  Pennsylvania 
in  1745,  he  was  settled  over  the  united  congrega- 
tions of  Paxton,  Derry  and  Mount  Joy,  where  he 
remained  until  his  death,  1775,  proving  an  able, 
courageous  and  faithful  minister  of  the  gospel. 

Robert  Smith,  D.  D.,  was  licensed,  1749,  and 
settled  over  the  churches  in  Pequa  and  Leacock, 
Pennsylvania.  Here  he  opened  a  classical  school, 
which  was  attended  by  a  large  number  of  young 
men,  many  of  whom  became  distinguished  in  the 
ministry  and  in  the  professions ;  he  was  moderator 
of  the  Assembly,  and  highly  esteemed  as  an  able, 
faithful  pastor.  Three  of  his  sons  entered  the 
ministry :  Dr.  Samuel  Stanhope  Smith,  President 
of  Nassau  Hall ;  Dr.  John  Blair  Smith,  president 
of  Hampden-Sidney,  and  afterward  of  Union,  Col- 
lege; and  Dr.  William  Ramsey  Smith,  pastor  of 
the  Second  Presbyterian  church,  Wilmington,  Del- 
aware. 


foreign  ministers  in  America.      297 

Other  ministers  who  came  from  abroad  and  aid- 
ed in  establishing  Presbyterianism  in  this  country, 
to  whose  labors  we  cannot  refer,  were:  Robert  Orr, 
1715;  Henry  Hook  and  Samuel  Young,  1718 ; 
Archibald  McCook  and  Hugh  Stevenson,  1726; 
John  Williamson,  William  Orr  and  David  San- 
key,  1730;  William  Bertram,  1732;  Benjamin 
Campbell,  1733;  Samuel  Hemphill,  James  Mar- 
tin and  Robert  Jamison,  1734;  Hugh  Carlisle  and 
Samuel  Black,  1735;  John  Paul,  1736;  Charles 
Tennent,  1737;  David  Alexander,  1738;  Samuel 
Caven,  David  Megregor  and  Francis  McHenrv, 
1739;  Alexander  McDowell  and  James  McCrea, 
1741;  John  Steel,  1744;  Andrew  Bay,  1747; 
Samson  Smith  and  Samuel  Kennedy,  1750:  Rob- 
ert Smith,  1751 ;  James  Finley,  1752  ;  John  Kin- 
kead  and  James  Brown,  1753  ;  Hugh  Knox,  1755  ; 
and  Henry  Patillo,  1757,  an  author,  and  a  patri- 
arch in  the  churches  of  North  Carolina. 

In  the  above  enumeration  we  have  confined 
ourselves  to  those  clergymen  from  Scotland  and  Ire- 
land who  entered  the  ministry  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  this  country  previous  to  the  union  of 
the  synods  in  1758.  This  was  the  period  when 
the  largest  emigration  took  place,  and  the  forma- 
tive period  of  Presbyterianism  in  America.  If 
we  would  give  proper  weight  to  this  influence,  we 
must  bear  in  mind  that  at  the  union  of  the  two 
synods  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  in  1758, 
there  were  but  ninety-four  ministers  connected  with 


298  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

the  Presbyterian  Church  in  this  country,  and  of 
this  number  forty  had  come  either  from  Ireland 
or  Scotland.  From  the  origin  of  the  Church,  at 
least  ninety  ministers  of  foreign  birth  had  helped  to 
plant  Presbyterianism  in  the  New  World  and  aid- 
ed in  its  subsequent  growth.  At  the  union  of  the 
synods  more  than  half  of  these  clergymen  had 
ceased  from  their  labors,  their  places,  however, 
being  largely  supplied  by  their  sons,  who  had  been 
trained  for  the  ministry  in  the  humble  yet  efficient 
educational  institutions  of  the  Church.  The  in- 
debtedness of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Amer- 
ica, therefore,  to  the  churches  of  Ireland  and  Scot- 
land can  scarcely  be  overestimated ;  and  this  is  as 
true  of  the  membership  of  the  Church  as  of  the 
clergymen  who  ministered  to  them. 


PRESBYTERIANS 
THE   FRIENDS   OF   EDUCATION. 


CHAPTER    XI. 
Peesbyterians  and  Education. 

Presbyterians  have  ever  been  the  earnest 
advocates  and  patrons  of  general  learning.  The 
influence  of  their  religious  system,  when  in  prac- 
tical operation,  inevitably  tends  to  this  result.  The 
academy  of  John  Calvin,  established  at  Geneva,  to 
which  so  many  of  the  youth  of  Europe  resorted,  is 
well  known  to  fame.  One  of  the  first  things  that 
the  Church  of  Scotland  did  when  its  privileges 
were  restored  by  the  Prince  of  Orange,  King  Wil- 
liam III.,  was,  through  its  General  Assembly,  to 
make  ample  provision  for  the  education  of  the  peo- 
ple. Schools  of  different  grades  were  established 
in  every  parish  throughout  the  kingdom,  which 
were  so  far  supported  by  public  funds  as  to  render 
education  possible  to  the  poorest  in  the  community. 

As  in  Geneva  and  in  Scotland,  so  wherever  Pn-s- 
bvterianism  has  been  planted,  it  has  invariably 
shown  a  similar  love  for  learning.  The  first  emi- 
grants to  this  country  were  no  exception.     Many 

299 


300  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

schoolmasters  accompanied  them  to  America,  and 
at  an  early  period  each  Presbyterian  settlement 
made  suitable  provision  for  its  schools.  Even 
among  their  servants  it  was  a  rare  thing  to  find 
one  that  could  not  at  least  read  God's  word. 

A  higher  education  than  could  be  acquired  in 
the  ordinary  schools  of  the  country,  also,  early  en- 
gaged the  attention  of  the  colonists.  The  synod 
of  the  Carolinas  enjoined  upon  all  its  presbyteries 
"  to  establish  within  their  respective  bounds  one  or 
more  grammar-schools,  except  where  such  schools 
are  already  established."  And  thus,  through  the 
influence  of  an  educated  ministry,  a  large  number 
of  classical  schools  and  academies  were  speedily 
organized,  which  acquired  a  wide  and  deserved 
reputation.  In  these  many  of  the  youth  of  the 
country  received  an  education  which  fitted  them 
for  after-usefulness  in  the  liberal  professions  of 
law  and  medicine,  while  their  main  purpose  was 
to  raise  up  and  qualify  ministers  for  the  rap- 
idly increasing  congregations.  As  instructors  of 
the  rising  generation  the  Presbyterian  clergy  ex- 
erted an  immense  influence  for  good  upon  society, 
then  in  a  formation -state,  and  subsequently  their 
example  fostered  a  zeal  for  education  in  other  de- 
nominations, and  led  them  also  to  found  schools 
and  colleges. 

In  this  connection  some  of  the  more  important 
of  these  classical  schools  deserve  special  notice,  as 
the  efforts  and  sacrifices  necessary  to  sustain  them 


PRESBYTERIANS  AND   EDUCATION.      301 

will  show  how  devoted  the  ministers  and  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  were  to  the  cause  of 
liberal  education. 

The  first  literary  institution  of  the  kind  was 
established  in  1728  by  the  Rev.  William  Tennent, 
and  was  known  in  after-years  as  the  Log  College 
— a  name  derisively  given  to  the  school  by  its  en- 
emies. The  building  was  composed  of  logs,  was 
about  twenty  feet  square,  and  was  situated  in  Bucks 
county,  Pennsylvania,  twenty  miles  north  of  Phil- 
adelphia, and  "about  a  mile  from  that  part  of 
Neshaminy  Creek  where  the  Presbyterian  church 
has  long  stood."  Though  the  edifice  was  wanting 
in  architectural  grace  and  beauty,  it  vindicated  its 
right  to  the  title  of  a  college,  for  it  was  a  truly 
noble  institution,  and  proved  a  fountain  of  rich 
blessing  to  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

Its  founder  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  a  graduate 
of  Trinity  College  and  an  accomplished  scholar, 
"to  whom  Latin  was  as  familiar  as  his  mother- 
tongue,  and  who  was  an  honor  to  the  Church  of 
his  adoption."  When  received  by  the  synod  as  a 
member,  he  delivered  an  elegant  Latin  oration  be- 
fore that  body.  He  was  also  said  to  be  a  proficient 
in  the  other  ancient  languages,  and  to  have  the 
power  to  inspire  his  pupils  with  a  love  for  learning. 

His  motive  for  founding  the  school  was  to  pro- 
vide a  pious  and  educated  ministry  for  the  Church, 
which  he  saw  must  ultimately  be  furnished  from 
within  her  own  bounds.      Hitherto  the  most  of  her 


302  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

ministers  had  received  their  education  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Glasgow,  some  in  Ireland  and  others  at 
New  England  colleges.  As  yet  no  college  had 
been  established  in  any  of  the  Middle  States,  where 
young  men  looking  forward  to  the  ministry  could 
obtain  a  proper  education,  and  they  had  been 
obliged  to  resort  either  to  Scotland  or  New  Eng- 
land to  study — an  expense  which  at  that  time  few 
were  able  to  incur.  This  was  a  condition  of  things 
very  unfavorable  for  the  growth  and  prosperity  of 
the  Church,  and  one  which  Mr.  Tennent  deter- 
mined to  remedy  so  far  as  he  could.  To  this  work 
he  devoted  the  remainder  of  his  life;  and  in  addi- 
tion to  the  classics,  he  instructed  his  pupils  in  the- 
ology, and  sent  forth  a  large  number  of  men  into 
the  gospel  ministry  who  were  eminent  alike  for 
piety  and  learning.  "  To  him,"  says  Webster, 
"  above  all  others,  is  owing  the  prosperity  and 
enlargement  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  had 
the  rare  gift  of  attracting  to  him  youth  of  worth 
and  genius,  imbuing  them  with  his  healthful  spirit, 
and  sending  them  forth  sound  in  the  faith,  blame- 
less in  life,  burning  with  zeal,  and  unsurpassed  as 
instructive,  impressive  and  successful  preachers." 
Similar  testimony  is  borne  by  Dr.  Archibald  Al- 
exander to  the  influence  of  this  honored  teacher: 
"  To  him  the  Presbyterian  Church  is  more  indebt- 
ed than  to  any  other  individual  for  the  evangelical 
spirit  that  pervaded  its  early  ministry."  His  three 
sons,  the  Revs.  Samuel   and  John  Blair,  William 


PRESBYTERIANS  AND   EDUCATION.       303 

Robinson  and  Charles  Beatty,  and  Dr.  Samuel 
Finley,  not  to  mention  others  of  his  pupils,  are  a 
sufficient  justification  of  any  eulogy  that  has  been 
pronounced  upon  this  school. 

Soon  after  the  division  of  the  original  synod  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  in  1741,  measures  were 
adopted  to  establish  a  classical  and  scientific  institu- 
tion which  would  be  under  the  supervision  of  the 
synod  of  Philadelphia.  For  years  the  Old  Side 
party  had  been  dissatisfied  with  the  Log  College, 
and  the  rupture  of  ecclesiastical  relations  served 
to  separate  still  more  widely  the  former  friends  and 
supporters  of  the  college,  and  to  make  it  more  ne- 
cessary that  another  school  should  be  started.  After 
much  discussion  and  consultation  among  those  who 
favored  the  enterprise,  a  public  meeting  was  held 
in  1743,  when  it  was  resolved  to  found  an  institu- 
tion, under  the  direction  of  the  synod,  to  which  all 
persons  who  pleased  might  send  their  children,  to 
be  instructed,  without  charge,  in  the  languages, 
philosophy  and  divinity. 

An  academy  of  the  kind  having  been  already  es- 
tablished at  New  London,  Pennsylvania,  by  the  Rev. 
Francis  Alison,  the  synod  adopted  it,  and  appointed 
a  board  of  trustees  to  manage  it.  Mr.  Alison  was 
retained  as  principal,  and  had  charge  of  it  until 
his  removal  to  Philadelphia,  in  17*52,  to  take  the 
direction  of  an  academy  in  that  city,  which  in  1755 
was  merged  into  the  University  of  Philadelphia. 

With  the  reputation  of  being  the  foremost  schol- 


304  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

ar  at  that  time  in  the  country,  and  a  man  of 
"  unquestionable  ability,"  as  his  pupil  Bishop 
White  testifies,  he  was  admirably  qualified  to 
instruct  the  youth  who  in  large  numbers  re- 
paired to  his  institution.  While  it  did  not  aspire 
to  the  name  and  dignity  of  a  college,  the  school 
was  justly  celebrated  and  widely  useful,  and  was 
"  a  powerful  auxiliary  to  the  cause  of  theological 
education."  It  not  only  furnished  the  early  Pres- 
byterian churches  of  this  country  with  many  dis- 
tinguished pastors,  but  the  State  with  many  of  its 
ablest  civilians.  Among  the  pupils  of  this  school 
were  the  secretary  of  the  Continental  Congress 
and  three  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence. 

The  Rev.  Alexander  McDowell  succeeded  Mr. 
Alison  as  principal  of  the  New  London  school, 
which,  after  a  long  and  useful  career,  was  subse- 
quently removed  to  Newark,  Delaware,  and  has 
been  since  known  as  Delaware  College. 

A  classical  school  was  instituted  at  Fagg's  Ma- 
nor, Pennsylvania,  in  1739,  by  Rev.  Samuel  Blair, 
in  which  such  distinguished  ministers  as  Samuel 
Davies,  John  Rodgers,  Alexander  Cu  minings, 
James  Finley  and  Robert  Smith  received  their 
education.  Mr.  Blair  is  represented  as  one  of  the 
most  learned  as  well  as  pious  and  excellent  men  of 
his  day.  Profound  as  a  theologian,  he  was  still 
more  eminent  as  a  preacher,  and  in  every  respect 
a  burning  and  shining  light  in  the  Church. 


PRESBYTERIANS  AND   EDUCATION.      80S 

Having  been  educated  at  the  Log  College,  and 
sympathizing  strongly  with  the  Tennents  in  their 
views,  and  also  in  their  efforts  to  promote  revivals, 
the  purpose  and  character  of  his  school  were  similar 
to  that  at  Neshaminy,  and,  like  it,  was  celebrated 
both  for  the  superior  education  imparted  to  its 
pupils  and  the  high  moral  and  religious  purposes 
with   which  they  were  animated. 

Soon  after  his  settlement  at  Nottingham,  Mary- 
land, 1744,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Finley  opened  an 
academy  in  order  to  prepare  young  men  for  the 
ministry,  which  soon  acquired  such  a  reputation 
that  students  resorted  to  it  from  a  great  distance. 
Mr.  Finley  was  eminent  as  a  scholar  and  skillful 
as  a  teacher,  and  in  his  instructions  religion  was 
united  to  learning,  according  to  the  principles  of 
Scripture.  When  president  of  Princeton  College, 
to  which  office  he  was  unanimously  elected  at  the 
death  of  President  Davies,  in  addition  to  his  official 
duties,  he  taught  Latin,  Greek  and  Hebrew  to  the 
senior  class,  and  superintended  an  English  school 
held  in  one  of  the  college-buildings. 

With  such  superior  qualifications  as  an  instructor, 
we  are  not  surprised  that  the  Nottingham  academy 
acquired  a  great  reputation  and  sent  forth  from  its 
walls  some  of  the  ablest  and  best  men,  both  in 
Church  and  State,  whose  memories  are  cherished  by 
their  countrymen  to  the  present  day.  Among  these 
may  be  mentioned  the  names  of  Benjamin  Rush, 
M.  D.,  Governor  Martin  of  North  Carolina,  Dr. 

20 


306  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

McWhorter,  Ebenezer  Hazzard,  Dr.  Williams,  Mr. 
Tennent  and  Dr.  James  Waddell. 

Dr.  Robert  Smith,  when  settled,  in  1750,  at  Pequa, 
Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  opened  a  school 
in  which  Latin,  Greek  and  Hebrew  were  taught. 
It  soon  became  the  resort  of  many  young  men,  over 
whom  the  instructor  exerted  a  strong  religious 
influence.  Large  numbers  of  them  were  induced 
to  devote  themselves  to  the  ministry,  and  afterward 
also  studied  divinity  under  him.  After  Princeton 
College  was  established,  students  continued  to  be 
prepared  here  to  enter  that  institution.  With 
scarcely  an  exception,  those  who  were  trained  in 
this  academy  were  the  uniform  friends  of  religion, 
and  the  Presbyterian  Church  was  greatly  indebted 
to  Mr.  Smith  for  the  number  of  faithful  pastors 
who  received  their  education  in  his  school. 

The  first  classical  and  scientific  school  that  was 
opened  west  of  the  mountains,  and  designed  to  train 
young  men  for  the  pastoral  office,  was  that  of  the 
Rev.  Joseph  Smith,  at  Upper  Buffalo,  Pennsylva- 
nia, 1785.  His  kitchen,  in  the  absence  of  any 
other  building,  was  devoted  to  the  school.  Here, 
McGready,  Patterson,  Porter,  Brice,  Holmes  and 
many  other  pious  youth  received  their  education, 
who  were  afterward  the  missionaries  and  ministers 
of  the  Redstone  and  Ohio  presbyteries.  In  their 
course  of  study  they  were  supported  in  part  by 
the  ladies  of  the  neighboring  churches,  who  pro- 
vided them  with  their  clothing. 


PRESBYTERIANS  AND   EDUCATION      «°»07 

The  school  was  continued  for  several  years,  and 
then,  by  mutual  arrangement,  was  transferred,  and 
reorganized,  near  Canonsburg,  under  the  care  of 
the  Rev.  Dr.  McMillan.  It  was  the  nucleus  out  of 
which  grew  eventually  the  Canonsburg  academy, 
the  log  cabin  being  superseded  by  a  building  of 
stone  in  1790,  which  served  the  double  purpose  of 
a  church  and  a  school.  This  led  to  the  organization 
of  Jefferson  College,  in  1802,  so  that  the  log  cabin, 
the  academy  and  the  college  may  be  considered 
one  and  the  same  institution,  under  progressive 
forms  of  enlargement  and  usefulness. 

Similar  institutions  of  learning,  at  an  early  period 
of  the  Church,  were  established  by  the  Rev.  Jona- 
than Dickinson  at  Elizabethtown,  New  Jersey,  the 
germ  of  Princeton  College;  by  the  Rev.  Thomas 
Evans  at  Pencader,  Maryland  ;  by  Samuel  Kennedy, 
a  highly  accomplished  scholar,  at  Baskinridge, 
New  Jersey;  by  Hugh  Stevenson,  who  opened  a 
grammar-school,  1740,  in  Philadelphia;  and  by 
Eliab  By  ram  at  Mendham,  New  Jersey.  The 
Presbyterian  colonists  of  Virginia  also  made  as 
ample  provision  for  the  education  of  their  youth  as 
their  circumstances  permitted.  In  most  of  their 
congregations  pastors  established  classical  and  scien- 
tific schools.  West  of  the  Blue  Ridge  such  a  school 
was  carried  on  at  New  Providence,  by  the  Rev.  John 
Brown,  while  east  of  the  Ridge  a  similar  institu- 
tion was  conducted  by  the  Rev.  John  Todd,  under 
the  patronage  of  Dr.  Samuel  Davies.     The  first  of 


308  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

these,  after  removals  to  Mount  Pleasant,  where  it 
was  known  as  Augusta  academy,  and  then  to 
Timber  Ridge,  as  Liberty  Hall,  finally  became 
Washington  College.  The  widespread  desire  for 
literary  institutions  of  a  high  order  led  the  pres- 
bytery of  Hanover,  as  early  as  1771,  to  take  measures 
to  establish  an  academy  in  Prince  Edward  county, 
which  subsequently  was  chartered  as  Hampden-Sid- 
ney  College.  These  institutions,  so  humble  in  their 
origin,  awakened  such  a  thirst  for  knowledge  in  the 
minds  of  large  numbers  of  the  youth  of  that  State 
that  not  a  few  of  them  afterward  became  eminent 
for  their  literary  attainments  and  were  distin- 
guished in  the  pulpit  and  at  the  bar. 

Classical  schools  of  great  excellence  were  organ- 
ized by  Dr.  David  Caldwell  at  Buffalo,  and  after- 
ward at  Guilford,  North  Carolina,  in  which  many 
of  the  most  eminent  men  of  the  South — lawyers, 
statesmen  and  clergymen — were  educated ;  by 
Dr.  Samuel  E.  McCorkle,  a  thorough  scholar  and 
earnest  student,  whose  school  at  Thyatira,  North 
Carolina,  bore  the  significant  name  of  Zion  Par- 
nassus,  and  in  which  there  was  a  department  for  the 
education  of  school-teachers,  and  provision  was 
made  to  have  poor  and  pious  young  men  taught 
free  of  expense,  of  whom  forty-five  entered  the  pul- 
pit;  by  the  Rev.  William  Bingham  at  Wilmington, 
and  subsequently  at  Chatham  and  Orange;  by  Dr. 
Joseph  Alexander  at  Sugar  Creek ;  by  Dr.  Alex- 
ander McWhorter,  principal  of  "  Queen's  Museum," 


PRESB  YTEBIAN8  AND  El>  UCA  TION.      &  0 

in  whose  hall  the  debates  preceding  the  Mecklen- 
burg Declaration  were  held,  and  which  the  legis- 
lature of  North  Carolina  afterward  chartered  un- 
der the  name  of  Liberty  Hall  academy.  Other 
classical  and  scientific  schools  were  taught  by  Rev. 
Dr.  Robinson  at  Poplar  Tent;  by  Dr.  Wilson  at 
Rocky  River  ;  by  Dr.  Hall  at  Bethany  ;  by  the  Rev. 
Henry  Patillo  at  Orange  and  Granville;  and  by 
Dr.  Waddell  at  Wilmington,  under  whose  instruc- 
tion some  of  the  ablest  civilians  of  the  State  were 
educated. 

A  large  number  of  Presbyterian  families  moved 
at  an  early  day  from  Virginia  and  the  Carolinas 
into  Tennessee,  who  carried  with  them  their  love  of 
education.  Rev.  Samuel  Doak,  a  graduate  of 
Princeton  College,  opened  a  classical  school  in 
Washington  county,  which  was  afterward  incor- 
porated under  the  name  of  Martin  academy,  and 
finally  became  known  as  Washington  College. 
This  was  the  first  literary  institution  established  in 
the  Mississippi  Valley.  The  books  that  formed  the 
nucleus  of  the  college  library  were  transported  from 
Philadelphia  over  the  mountains  in  sacks  on  pack- 
horses.  After  acting  as  president  of  the  college 
for  several  years,  Mr.  Doak  resigned  and  removed  to 
Bethel,  where  he  founded  Tusculum  academy,  and 
continued  to  be  the  active  advocate  and  patron  of 
learning,  as  he  had  ever  been  the  decided  friend  of 
civil  and  religious  liberty. 

Greenville  ( lollege  was  indebted  mainly  for  it  -  ori- 


310  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

gin  to  the  Rev.  Hezekiah  Balch,  and  it  was  through 
his  patronage  that  it  subsequently  rose  to  great 
usefulness,  as  was  Blount  College  to  its  first 
president,  the  Rev.  Samuel  Carrick,  the  friend  and 
co-presbyter  of  Balch.  If  Davidson  academy  was 
not  originated  by  the  Rev.  Thomas  B.  Craighead,  it 
was  indebted  to  his  untiring  labors  in  its  behalf  for 
its  subsequent  prosperity.  After  serving  for  twenty 
years  as  president  of  its  board  of  trustees,  he  was 
elected  president  of  Davidson  College  when  the 
academy  was  chartered  as  a  college. 

Without  enumerating  the  other  institutions  of 
learning  founded  in  these  new  and  sparsely-set- 
tled regions  of  country,  we  perceive  that  the  Pres- 
byterian clergy  of  the  South,  like  their  brethren 
of  the  North,  were  the  devoted  friends  of  educa- 
tion. They  felt  the  necessity  of  promoting  the 
general  intelligence  of  the  people,  but  more  par- 
ticularly of  training  up  an  educated  ministry  for 
the  rapidly  extending  missionary-field.  Hence  in 
nearly  every  congregation  a  classical  school  was 
taught  by  the  pastor.  And  who  can  calculate  the 
influence  for  good  which  such  men  as  these  exerted 
in  training  noble  minds  who  have  given  impulse 
and  direction  to  the  intellect  of  the  entire  country? 
The  names  of  many  of  these  ministers  and  teach- 
ers may  be  forgotten,  but  their  labors,  by  which 
they  so  largely  contributed  to  the  intellectual  ad- 
vancement of  the  people,  are  imperishable. 

But  these  schools,  though  so  excellent  and  use- 


PBESBl  VERIAN&    \\l>   EDUCATION.      3J  1 

ful   in  the  com m unities  where  they  were  located, 

did  not  do  away  with  the  necessity  of  establishing 
still  higher  institutions  of  learning,  in  which  the 
benefits  of  a  regular  collegiate  education  might  he 
enjoyed.  Without  permanent  funds,  libraries,  sci- 
entific apparatus  and  an  enlarged  corps  of  instruct- 
ors, they  could  not  meet  all  the  intellectual  needs 
of  the  young  men  of  the  country.  And  as  it  was 
extremely  difficult,  and  in  most  cases  impossible, 
for  parents,  on  account  of  the  great  distances,  to 
send  their  sons  either  to  Scotland  or  to  the  colleges 
of  New  England,  the  synod  of  New  York  and 
Philadelphia  turned  its  attention  at  an  early  period 
to  making  provision  for  a  more  liberal  education 
nearer  home.  A  charter  to  incorporate  the  College 
of  New  Jersey  was  procured  from  the  governor  of 
that  province,  mainly  through  the  influence  of  Jon- 
athan Dickinson,  of  Elizabethtown,  where  the  in- 
fant institution  was  first  established,  with  Dickinson 
as  its  first  president.  His  death  occurring  the  fol- 
lowing year,  the  Rev.  Aaron  Burr  was  chosen  his 
successor,  and  the  college  was  removed  to  Newark, 
where  it  continued  until  1755.  Buildings  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  students  having  been  erect- 
ed at  Princeton,  the  college  went  into  more  com- 
plete operation  at  that  place,  where  it  has  Bince  been 
permanently  located,  and  has  continued  more  and 
more  to  realize  the  expectations  of  its  founders. 

It  was  with   extreme  difficulty  that  the   means 
were  provided  during  thp  firs!  year-  for  the  cur- 


312  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

rent  expenses  of  the  institution  and  for  placing  it 
on  a  solid  basis.  Ministers  freely  contributed  for 
its  support  from  their  meagre  salaries,  and  the 
synod  of  1752  ordered  collections  to  be  taken  up 
in  the  churches  on  its  behalf.  A  deputation  of 
ministers  was  also  sent  to  England  and  Scotland 
to  advocate  its  claims.  Their  mission  proved  emi- 
nently successful.  Between  four  and  five  thousand 
pounds  was  collected,  which  placed  the  college  on 
a  sure  financial  basis,  and  cheered  the  hearts  of  all 
the  friends  of  liberal  education  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church. 

The  first  commencement  under  the  new  charter 
was  held  at  Newark  in  1748.  Governor  Belcher, 
the  friend  of  religion  and  the  patron  of  learning, 
was  on  the  platform,  and  around  him  was  gathered 
a  company  of  honored  trustees — of  ministers,  Sam- 
uel Blair,  Pierson,  Pemberton,  Gilbert  and  Wil- 
liam Tennent,  Treat,  Arthur,  Jones  and  Green ; 
and  of  laymen,  Redding,  president  of  the  council, 
Kinsey,  Shippen,  Smith  and  Hazzard.  It  was  a 
great  day  in  the  annals  of  our  Church  and  of  the 
State. 

Most  of  those  who  had  been  actively  engaged  in 
founding  this  college,  whose  fruits  now  began  to 
appear,  had  been  educated  at  the  Log  College  or 
in  schools  taught  by  those  who  had  been  instructed 
there.  Thus  it  came  to  pass  that  a  humble  insti- 
tution established  by  a  single  godly  minister  was 
the    means   of  training   many  talented    youth   for 


PRESBYTERIANS  AND  EDUCATION.      313 

honor  and  usefulness  in  their  generation,  who  in 
their  turn  founded  other  schools  of  learning,  and 
eventually  became  the  originators  of  not  only  the 
College  of  New  Jersey,  but  of  Jefferson  and  Dickin- 
son College  in  Pennsylvania  and  Hampden-Sidney 
and  Washington  College  in  Virginia.  These  insti- 
tutions, together  with  many  others  which  have  come 
into  life  of  Presbyterian  parentage,  which  have 
sent  forth  so  many  men  of  learning  and  piety  to 
bless  and  adorn  our  country,  evince  the  high  cha- 
racter and  intelligence  of  the  early  ministers  of  our 
Church,  as  also  the  wisdom  of  their  labors  and 
sacrifices  in  behalf  of  liberal  education. 


PATRIOTISM  OF  PRESBYTERIANS. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

No  people  had  a  clearer  perception  of  the  essen- 
tial principles  of  liberty,  or  had  done  and  suffered 
more  to  assert  and  defend  them,  than  the  Presbyte- 
rians of  Scotland.  Their  great  and  incomparable 
Reformer,  Knox,  when  obliged  to  flee  his  native 
land,  had  repaired  to  Geneva,  where  he  "studied 
with  unwearied  diligence"  under  Calvin,  and  be- 
came so  charmed  with  that  independent  common- 
wealth, and  with  the  simple  scheme  of  church  gov- 
ernment there  established  and  the  spirituality  of 
the  worship  connected  with  it,  that  on  his  return 
to  Scotland  he  began  to  propagate  his  matured  sen- 
timents with  great  earnestness  and  success.  The 
adoption  of  these  wise  and  liberal  views  by  his 
countrymen  led  eventually  to  the  triumph  of  re- 
ligious and  political  liberty.  What  these  were, 
so  far  as  rulers  and  subjects  were  concerned,  was 
shown  by  Knox's  memorable  reply  to  Queen  Mary 
when  she  asked  him  the  question,  "  Think  you 
that  subjects  having  the  power  may  resist  their 
princes  ?"  "  If  princes  exceed,  their  hounds,  madam, 
no  doubt  they  may  be  resisted  even  by  power."     This 

314 


PATRIOTISM   OF  PRESBYTERIANS        315 

the  learned  historian  Fronde  calls  "  the  creed  of 
republics  in  its  first  hard  form  ;"  and  so  John  Knox 
became  the  representative  of  civil  equally  with  re- 
ligious freedom  in  Scotland. 

To  this  is  to  be  added  a  sense  of  past  wrongs 
and  the  remembrance  of  how  their  ancestors  had 
been  hunted  like  wild  beasts  by  the  soldiery,  and 
had  their  houses  pillaged  and  burned,  while  they 
were  compelled  to  fly  for  safety  to  glens  and  moun- 
tain-fastnesses when  the  despotic  attempt  was  milk- 
ing to  impose  prelacy  upon  Scotland.  Thus  it  was 
that  the  history  and  the  traditional  memories  of  the 
Scottish  people,  who  constituted  so  important  a  part 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  America,  made  them 
earnest  and  active  patriots  when  called  upon  to 
choose  between  resistance  or  submission  to  arbi- 
trary power.* 

*  The  single  exception  was  that  of  some  Highlanders  in 
North  Carolina  at  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution.  Banished 
from  Scotland  for  taking  up  arms  for  the  Pretender,  their  par- 
don was  conditioned  on  a  solemn  oatli  of  allegiance  to  their 
sovereign.  Such  obligations  they  regarded  with  peculiar  sa- 
credness,  and  they  had  required  the  king  to  swear  to  the  Sol- 
emn League  and  Covenant.  Not  feeling  to  any  great  degree 
the  evils  complained  of  by  the  other  colonists,  they  were  slow 
to  engage  in  the  contest.  Some  of  them  at  first  sympathized 
with  and  aided  the  royalists;  but  when  the  monarchical  gov- 
ernment came  to  an  end,  they  became  the  fast  friends  and  sup- 
port m  of  republican  institutions.  We  may  respect  their  moral 
principles,  while  we  deplore  their  error  of  judgment,  that  led 
them  at  first  to  battle  with  freemen  who  were  only  demanding 
their  ripht.-. 


316  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

The  causes  were  many  and  obvious  why  the 
patriotism  of  the  Scotch-Irish  should  have  been 
so  universal  and  ardent  in  the  war  with  England. 
Their  antecedent  history  furnished  abundant  rea- 
sons why  they  should  distrust  the  mother-country 
and  dislike  her  methods  of  governing  her  colonies. 
Under  the  rule  of  those  who  had  controlled  the 
policy  of  that  government,  and  through  the  op- 
pressive measures  which  were  imposed  upon  Ire- 
land, they,  and  their  fathers  before  them,  had  been 
made  to  feel  all  the  evils  that  the  arrogant  bishops 
could  inflict;  they  had  seen  their  manufacturing 
industry  paralyzed  to  please  the  mill-owners  of 
Lancashire,  their  agriculture  discouraged  in  or- 
der that  English-grown  corn  might  have  a  more 
lucrative  market,  and  Ireland  cut  off  from  the  sea 
by  the  navigation  laws  and  compelled  to  sell  her 
products  to  British  merchants  rather  than  in  the 
open  markets  of  the  world.  In  a  word,  they  had 
seen  that  England's  policy  was  to  use  her  colo- 
nies for  her  own  interests,  irrespective  of  their 
rights  or  their  consent. 

With  their  past  experience,  it  would  indeed  have 
been  strange  if  they  had  not  been  among  the  first 
to  discern  the  threatened  evils  and  the  most  earnest 
in  resisting  them.  Ireland  was  but  a  colony  of 
longer  standing ;  and  having  seen  to  what  a  pitia- 
ble condition  an  English  colony  could  be  reduced 
whose  rights  and  interests  were  disregarded,  is  it 
any  wonder  that  these  people  were  the  earliest  to 


PATRIOTISM  OF  PRESBYTERIANS.        317 

take  alarm?  The  question  in  both  colonics  was 
substantially  the  same.  The  same  governmental 
measures  were  sought  to  be  employed  in  America 
as  had  been  in  Ireland.  The  wrongs  which  the 
American  people  were  called  upon  to  resist  had 
been  inflicted  upon  the  people  of  Ireland  for  gen- 
erations. The  trade  of  this  country  was  already  in 
English  hands.  Under  the  fostering  care  of  the 
proprietary  governors,  active  means  were  beMng 
employed  to  make  the  Episcopal  the  established 
Church  of  the  country,  and  then  farewell  to  all  lib- 
erty of  conscience.  Oppressive  laws  which  would 
destroy  the  manufactures  and  the  agriculture  of  the 
new  colony,  as  they  had  those  of  the  older  one, 
might  be  enacted  at  any  time;  and  the  only  way 
to  prevent  the  recurrence  of  the  evils  and  the  in- 
justice from  which  they  had  fled  was  firmly  to 
resist  the  first  encroachments  of  irresponsible  au- 
thority. So  that  if  the  Scotch-Irish  were  more 
suspicious  than  other  settlers  of  the  mother-coun- 
try, and  more  positive  and  outspoken  in  their 
opposition,  the  reason  was  none  had  such  cause 
for  complaint  on  account  of  the  grievances  they 
had  previously  endured. 

Their  hostile  feelings,  moreover,  were  kept  alive 
by  the  continued  arrivals  of  their  friends  from 
Ulster,  driven  out,  so  to  speak,  from  a  country 
which  they  had  reclaimed  from  desolation  and 
made  rich  and  prosperous.  It  required,  too,  more 
than    the   wide   waste  of    waters    which    separated 


318  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

them  from  their  former  oppressors,  to  efface  the 
resentment  which  these  exiles  carried  with  them 
to  their  new  homes.  It  blazed  up  anew  at  every 
remembrance  of  the  wrongs  they  had  endured  ;  and 
when  the  possibility  of  a  recurrence  of  these  evils 
confronted  them,  it  is  not  surprising  that  "  in  the 
war  of  independence  England  had  no  fiercer  ene- 
mies than  the  grandsons  and  great-grandsons  of 
the  Presbyterians  who  had  held  Ulster  against 
Tyrconnel."  They  and  succeeding  colonists  "  were 
torn  up  by  the  roots  and  bid  find  a  home  else- 
where, and  they  found  a  home  to  which  England, 
fifty  years  later,  had  to  regret  that  she  had  allowed 
them  to  be  driven."  * 

The  patriotism  of  the  Scotch-Irish  Presbyte- 
rians, as  was  true  also  of  their  brethren  from  Scot- 
land, was  influenced  largely  by  deep  religious  con- 
victions. Many  of  them  were  voluntary  exiles  for 
conscience'  sake.  These  would  be  very  naturally 
the  faithful  advocates  and  supporters  of  religious 
freedom.  Here,  in  the  land  of  their  adoption,  they 
wished  to  enjoy  and  to  transmit  to  their  children 
not  only  the  blessings  of  a  liberal  civil  govern- 
ment without  the  prescriptive  rights  of  a  nobility, 
but  one  in  which  they  would  be  equally  free  from 
the  impertinent  interference  of  an  ecclesiastical 
hierarchy. 

They  were  ready  to  grant  to  others  the  rights 
and  privileges  they  claimed  for  themselves.  If  any 
*  Fronde. 


PA  TRIOTISM   OF  PRESBYTERIANS.        :»n> 

were  enamored  with  the  "trappings  of  Episcopacy," 
and  preferred  a  Church  with  subordinate,  and 
superior  orders  of  clergy,  culminating  finally  in 
bishops  with  powers  of  supervision  and  control, 
they  were  not  disposed  to  quarrel  with  them  about 
their  choice.  But  what  they  knew  of  the  prerog- 
atives of  bishops  beyond  the  sea  induced  them  to 
deprecate  their  presence  and  power  in  the  Church 
of  Christ.  "  Our  forefathers,"  said  they,  "  and 
even  some  of  ourselves,  have  seen  and  felt  the 
tyranny  of  bishops'  courts.  Many  of  the  first  in- 
habitants of  these  colonies  were  obliged  to  seek  an 
asylum  among  savages  in  this  wilderness  in  order 
to  escape  the  ecclesiastical  tyranny  of  Archbishop 
Laud  and  others  of  his  stamp.  We  dread  the  conse- 
quences as  often  as  we  think  of  this  danger."  And 
what  was  here  said  of  Archbishop  Laud  by  these 
Connecticut  colonists,  could  have  been  uttered 
with  equal  truth  of  nearly  every  prelate  of  Scot- 
land, including  that  arch-traitor  and  archbishop, 
Sharp. 

Nor  were  they  without  good  reasons  for  fearing 
that  Episcopacy  might  be  established  in  this  coun- 
try. The  instructions  given  to  the  governors  of 
the  several  provinces  required  them  u  to  give  all 
countenance  and  encouragement  to  the  exercise  of 
the  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction  of  the  bishop  of 
London,"  and  particularly  directed  that  "  no  school- 
master be  hereafter  permitted  to  keep  school  within 
this   our  said  province  without  the  license  of  the 


320  SCOTCH  AND  IRTSH  SEEDS. 

bishop  of  London/'*  In  1730  an  order  of  council 
was  passed  approving  the  instructions  that  had 
been  sent  to  the  governors  of  the  provinces,  direct- 
ing them  "to  support  the  bishop  of  London  and 
his  commissioners  in  the  exercise  of  such  ecclesias- 
tical jurisdiction  as  is  granted  to  them."  f  In 
several  of  the  provinces  the  Episcopal  Church  was 
either  established  by  law  or  was  peculiarly  favor- 
ed by  the  colonial  governments.  Already  some  of 
them  had  experienced  the  tender  mercies  of  Epis- 
copacy in  Virginia,  in  the  Carolinas  and  in  New 
York,  where  it  had  secured  a  preponderating  in- 
fluence and  was  supported  by  the  strong  arm  of 
the  civil  authority.  In  these  colonies  "dissent- 
ers" had  been  subjected  to  grievous  and  unjust 
hardships.  In  some  instances  they  had  been  fined 
and  imprisoned  for  being  present  at,  and  taking  part 
in,  religious  services  after  the  Presbyterian  mode  of 
worship  ;  in  others  they  were  obliged  to  aid  in  the 
support  of  clergy  upon  whose  ministry  they  did  not 
attend,  and  were  denied  the  rights  of  citizenship 
and  the  right  of  marriage  by  their  own  pastors. 

Besides,  the  intention  to  introduce  Episcopacy 
into  this  country,  and  make  the  Episcopal  the 
established  Church,  was  early  and  frequently 
avowed.  "Americans  in  England  were  openly 
told  that  bishops  should  be  settled  in  America 
in  spite  of  all  the  Presbyterian  opposition."  The 
Episcopal  clergy  of  New  York  and  New  Jersey  pe- 

*  Maclean's  History  of  Princeton  College.  f  Ibid. 


PATRIOTISM   OF  PRESBYTERIANS.       321 

titioned  for  the  episcopate,  and  at  as  early  a  period 

as  174*  it  was  proposed  to  introduce  Episcopacy 
into  New  England  by  elevating  some  of  the  min- 
isters to  an  ecclesiastical  pre-eminence  over  their 
brethren.  Thus  the  memories  of  the  past,  together 
with  these  avowed  intentions  and  attempts,  united 
all  the  other  denominations  in  resisting  the  proj- 
ect to  make  the  Episcopal  the  established  Church 
in  America.  They  wanted  no  Courts  of  High  Com- 
mission, no  lords-spiritual,  no  prelatical  arrogance, 
in  their  new  homes. 

It  was  not  only,  then,  because  their  civil  rights 
were  imperiled,  but  also  because  their  religious  free- 
dom was  in  danger,  that  our  Presbyterian  fathers 
were  such  steadfast,  earnest  patriots.  As  in  Scot- 
land and  Ireland,  so  here,  they  recognized  the  fact 
that  civil  and  religious  liberty  stood  or  fell  together. 
Bo  that,  while  they  protested  against  taxation  with- 
out representation,  they  were  equally  opposed  to 
anv  interference  with  the  rights  of  conscience. 
Feeling  it  to  be  their  duty  to  resist  all  arbitrary 
power  in  civil  government,  they  naturally  feared 
and  distrusted  the  influence  of  Episcopacy,  since 
in  their  former  homes  it  had  ever  been  found  the 
strong  ally  of  despotism,  and  in  this  country  they 
saw  that  its  clergy  and  their  flocks  "leaned,  with 
very  few  exceptions,  to  the  side  of  the  Crown." 

These  principles  and  sentiments  were  common 
to  the  Scotch  and  Scotch-Irish  colonists  and  their 
descendants,  and  sustained  them  through  the  sac- 

21 


322  SCOTCH  AND   IRISH  SEEDS 

rifices  and  perils  of  a  seven  years'  conflict  for  in- 
dependence. But  while  they  were  conspicuous  in 
their  zeal  and  devotion  as  patriots,  they  were  not 
alone  or  singular  in  this  respect  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  For  its  members,  though  coming  from 
sources  widely  diverse,  were  yet  wonderfully  har- 
monious and  united  in  support  of  the  cause.  So 
well  known  were  the  opinions  and  sympathies  of 
Presbyterians  that  they  were  subjected  to  all  the 
evils  the  enemy  was  capable  of  visiting  upon  their 
persons  or  their  property,  and  wherever  found  they 
were  regarded  and  treated  as  arch-rebels. 

History  accords  to  Presbyterians  the  honor  of 
being  the  first  to  combine  to  resist  the  impositions  of 
the  mother-country  upon  the  colonists.  Mr.  Adol- 
phus,  in  his  book  on  the  Reign  of  George  III.y 
uses  the  following  language :  "  The  first  effort 
toward  a  union  of  interest  was  made  by  the  Pres- 
byterians, who  were  eager  in  carrying  into  execu- 
tion their  favorite  project  of  forming  a  synod. 
Their  churches  had  hitherto  remained  unconnected 
with  each  other,  and  their  union  in  synod  had  been 
considered  so  dangerous  to  the  community  that  in 
1725  it  was  prevented  by  the  express  interference 
of  the  lords-justices.  Availing  themselves,  with 
great  address,  of  the  rising  discontents,  the  con- 
vention of  ministers  and  elders  at  Philadelphia 
enclosed  in  a  circular-letter  to  all  the  Presbyterian 
congregations  in  Pennsylvania  the  proposed  articles 
of  union.  ...  In    consequence   of    this  letter,    a 


PATRIOTISM   OF  PRESBYTERIANS.       323 

union  of  all  the  congregations  took  place  in  Penn- 
sylvania and  the  Lower  Counties.  A  similar  con- 
federacy was  established  in  all  the  Southern  prov- 
inces, in  pursuance  of  similar  letters  written  by 
their  respective  conventions.  These  measures  ended 
io  the  establishment  of  an  annual  synod  at  Phil- 
adelphia, where  all  general  affairs,  political  as  well 
as  religious,  were  debated  and  decided.  From  this 
synod  orders  and  decrees  were  issued  throughout 
America,  and  to  them  a  ready  and  implicit  obe- 
dience was  paid. 

"The  discontented  in  New  England  recommend- 
ed a  union  of  the  Congregational  and  Presbyterian 
interests  throughout  the  colonies.  A  negotiation 
took  place,  which  ended  in  the  appointment  of  a 
permanent  committee  of  correspondence,  and  powers 
to  communicate  and  consult  on  all  occasions  with 
a  similar  committee  established  by  the  Congrega- 
tional churches  in  New  England.  .   .  . 

"  By  this  union  a  party  was  prepared  to 

DISPLAY   THEIR   POWER   BY    RESISTANCE,    and    the 

Stamp  law  presented  itself  as  a  favorable  object  of 
hostility."* 

Equally  explicit  testimony  is  borne  in  a  published 
address  of  Mr.  William  B.  Reed  of  Philadelphia, 
himself  an  Episcopalian  :  "The  part  taken  by  the 
Presbvterians  in  the  contest  with  the  mother-coun- 

*  Undue  political  importance  was  attached  to  these  measures, 
but  it  indicates  the  close  connection  between  the  religions  and 
civil  part  of  the  contest  now  begun. 


324  SCOTCH  AXJ)  IRISH  SEEDS. 

try  was  indeed,  at  the  time,  often  made  a  ground  of 
reproach,  and  the  connection  between  their  efforts 
for  the  security  of  their  religious  liberty  and  opposi- 
tion to  the  oppressive  measures  of  Parliament,  was 
then  distinctly  seen"  Mr.  Galloway,  a  prominent 
advocate  of  the  government,  in  1774,  ascribed 
the  revolt  and  revolution  mainly  to  the  action  of 
the  Presbyterian  clergy  and  laity  as  early  as  1764. 
Another  writer  of  the  same  period  says  :  "  You  will 
have  discovered  that  I  am  no  friend  to  the  Presby- 
terians, and  that  I  fix  all  the  blame  of  these  ex- 
traordinary proceedings  upon  them."  And  Rev. 
Dr.  Elliott,  editor  of  the  Western  organ  of  the 
Methodist  Church,  in  answer  to  an  assailant  of 
Presbyterians,  says  :  "  The  Presbyterians,  of  every 
class,  were  prominent,  and  even  foremost,  in  achiev- 
ing the  liberties  of  the  United  States,  and  they 
have  been  all  along  the  leading  supporters  of  the 
Constitution  and  law  and  good  order." 

The  Synod  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  which 
met  in  Philadelphia  a  year  before  the  Declaration 
of  Independence,  was  the  very  first  body  to  declare 
themselves  in  favor  of  open  resistance,  and  to  en- 
courage and  counsel  their  people,  who  were  then 
ready  to  take  up  arms.  But  a  few  weeks  before, 
the  bloody  conflict  had  taken  place  at  Lexington, 
and  created  great  excitement  throughout  the  land. 
The  General  Congress  was  also  in  session  in  Phil- 
adelphia, consulting  concerning  the  crisis  which  had 
been  precipitated  upon  the  colonies.     At  this  im- 


PATRIOTISM   OF  PRESBYTERIANS.        :»-: 

portant  period  the  Synod  gave  expression  to  itt 
deep  sympathy  for  the  cause  of  freedom,  and  its  re- 
ligious convictions  respecting  the  rights  of  the  peo- 
ple. u  Rarely,"  says  Dr.  Gillett,  "  on  any  occasion, 
has  there  been  a  parallel  utterance  more  significant 
or  effective,  and  it  came  at  the  opportune  moment 
when  political  zeal  needed  to  be  tempered  and  sus 
tained  by  religious  sanctions."  Rev.  Dr.  Lang,  in 
his  volume  entitled  Religion  and  Education  in 
America,  thus  speaks  of  the  same  document : 
"As  a  literary  production,  the  letter  is  evidently 
of  a  superior  order,  highly  creditable  to  the  body 
from  which  it  emanated  ;  as  a  political  document,  it 
is  unexceptionable;  as  a  Christian  testimony  and 
admonition,  it  is  all  that  could  be  possibly  desired." 

The  spirit  which  actuated  these  men  is  shown 
by  the  following  extract  from  the  Synod's  pastoral 
letter:  "Perhaps  no  instance  can  be  given,  on  so 
interesting  a  subject,  in  which  political  sentiments 
have  been  so  long  and  so  fully  kept  from  the  pul- 
pit, and  even  malice  itself  has  not  charged  us  with 
laboring  from  the  press,  but  things  are  now  come 
to  such  a  state  that,  as  we  do  not  wish  to  conceal 
our  opinions  as  men  and  citizens,  so  the  relation 
we  stand  in  to  you  seemed  to  make  the  present  im- 
provement of  it  to  your  spiritual  benefit  an  indis- 
pensable duty." 

It  proceeds  to  exhort  those  who  belong  to  its 
communion  "not  to  suffer  oppression,  or  injury 
itself,  easily  to  provoke  you  to  speak  disrespectfully 


326  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH.  SEEDS. 

of  the  king/'  but  to  "  let  it  ever  appear  that  you 
only  desire  the  preservation  and  security  of  those 
rights  which  belong  to  you  as  freemen."  With  re- 
spect to  union  in  defence  of  their  rights,  it  says : 
"  Be  careful  to  maintain  the  union  which  at  present 
subsists  through  all  the  colonies;  nothing  can  be 
more  manifest  than  that  the  success  of  every  meas- 
ure depends  on  its  being  inviolably  preserved,  and 
therefore  we  hope  that  you  will  leave  nothing  un- 
done which  can  promote  that  end.  In  particular, 
as  the  Continental  Congress  now  sitting  in  Phil- 
adelphia consists  of  delegates  chosen  in  the  most 
free  and  unbiased  manner,  by  the  body  of  the  peo- 
ple, let  them  not  only  be  treated  with  respect  and 
encouraged  in  their  difficult  service,  not  only  let 
your  prayers  be  offered  up  to  God  for  his  direction 
in  their  proceedings,  but  adhere  firmly  to  their 
resolutions,  and  let  it  be  seen  that  they  are  able 
to  bring  out  the  whole  strength  of  their  vast  coun- 
try to  carry  them  into  execution." 

The  letter  further  urges  "  mutual  charity  and 
esteem  among  members  of  different  religious  de- 
nominations, vigilance  in  regard  to  social  govern- 
ment and  morals,  reformation  of  manners,  per- 
sonal honesty  and  integrity,  humanity  and  mercy, 
especially  among  such  as  should  be  called  to  the 
field." 

In  order  that  these  sentiments  might  exert  their 
appropriate  influence  over  the  people  connected 
with    their   congregations,  copies    of   the   pastoral 


PATRIOTISM   OF  PRESBYTERIANS.       ;»-7 

letter  were   transmitted   to  all   the  churches,*   and 

it  aided  largely  in  kindling  and  sustaining  the 
patriotic  zeal  of  the  country.  Particularly  did 
it  give  prestige  and  influence  to  the  counsel  and 
ads  of  the  Congress  then  in  session,  for  whom,  as 
we  have  seen,  prayer  was  unceasingly  to  be  offered, 
and  to  whose  resolutions  they  were  exhorted  "firm- 
ly to  adhere,"  in  order  that  they  may  "  be  able  to 
bring  out  the  whole  strength  of  this  vast  coun- 
try to  carry  them  into  execution."  From  every 
Presbyterian  pulpit  in  the  land,  and  from  every 
Presbyterian  household  altar,  went  up  the  voice 
of  supplication  in  behalf  of  a  Buffering  country. 
Thus  it  was  that  the  Presbyterian  Church,  by  the 
act  of  its  highest  judicatory,  took  its  stand  by  the 
side  of  the  American  Congress,  and  helped  to  sus- 
tain the  struggle  for  independence  by  its  wise, 
brave  and  patriotic  words. 

Of  the  highest  significance  were  the  resolutions 
adopted  by  the  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians  of  North 
Carolina  in  convention  at  Charlotte,  May  20,  1775 
which  are  known  in  history  as  the  Me<  klexburc- 
Declaration.!     This    high-spirited    people    had 

*  This  paper  had  a  wider  circulation  than  the  bounds  of 
the  Synod.  The  official  record  of  the  provincial  congress  of 
North  Carolina  states  "that  two  hundred  copies  of  the  lettex 
were  presented  to  the  delegates  by  Rev.  Mr.  Boyd." 

f  All  the  members  of  this  convention  srere  connected  with 
the  seven  Presbyterian  churchts  and  congregations  that  em- 
braced the  entire  county  of  Mecklenburg.  One  was  a  Presby- 
terian minister,  and  nine  were  elders  of  Presbyterian  chtirchi  -. 


328  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

carefully  watched  the  progress  of  the  controversy 
between  the  colonies  and  Great  Britain  ;  and  when, 
in  May,  1775,  they  received  news  of  the  address 
that  had  been  presented  to  the  king  by  Parliament, 
declaring  the  American  colonists  to  be  in  actual 
rebellion,  they  concluded  that  the  time  for  action 
had  arrived,  and  accordingly  proceeded  to  renounce 
their  allegiance  to  the  Crown.  Two  delegates 
from  each  militia  company  in  the  county  were 
called  together  in  Charlotte  as  a  representative 
committee.  The  result  of  their  deliberations  was 
to  form,  in  effect,  a  declaration  of  independence, 
as  well  as  a  complete  system  of  government.  All 
laws  and  commissions,  civil  and  military,  derived 
from  the  king  or  Parliament,  were  declared  void, 
and  the  provincial  congress  of  each  province,  under 
the  direction  of  the  great  Continental  Congress, 
was  invested  with  all  legislative  and  executive 
powers.  This  action  was  made  binding  on  all; 
and  to  give  effect  to  it,  the  freemen  of  the  county 
formed  themselves  into  military  companies  and 
entrusted  judicial  powers  to  men  selected  by  vote 
of  these  companies,  the  tenure  of  all  offices  being 
conditioned  solely  on  the  pleasure  of  their  several 
constituencies. 

The  importance  of  the  resolutions  adopted  at 
Charlotte  justifies  the  insertion  here  of  two  of  them. 
In  the  second  they  resolve,  "That  we  do  hereby 
dissolve  the  political  bonds  which  have  connected  us 
with  the  mother- country,  and  hereby  absolve  ourselves 


PATRIOTISM   OF  PRESBYTERIANS,       329 

from  all  allegiance  to  the  British  Crown  ;"  and  in 
the  third,  "  We  hereby  declare  ourselves  a.  free  and 
independent  people  ;  are,  and  of  right  ought  to  be,  a 
sovereign  and  self-governing  association,  under  the 
control  of  no  power  other  than  that  of  our  God 
and  the  general  government  of  the  Congress,  to 
the  maintenance  of  which  we  solemnly  pledge  to 
each  other  our  mutual  co-operation  and  our  lives, 
our  fortunes  and  our  most  sacred  honor." 

These  extraordinary  resolves  were  sent  by  a  mes- 
senger to  the  Congress  in  Philadelphia,  and  were 
printed  in  the  Cape  Fear  Mercury  and  widely  dis- 
tributed throughout  the  province.  A  copy  of  them 
was  transmitted  by  Sir  James  Wright,  then  gov- 
ernor of  Georgia,  to  England,  in  a  letter  of  June 
20,  1775,  and  the  paper  containing  these  resolu- 
tions may  still  be  seen  in  the  British  State-Paper 
Office.  Owing  to  the  remarkable  coincidence  of 
language,  as  well  as  the  many  phrases  common 
both  to  the  Mecklenburg  and  the  national  decla- 
ration, the  question  has  arisen  which  had  prece- 
dence in  point  of  time.  However  this  may  be 
decided,  or  whether  they  both  were  not  indebted 
to  some  common  source — such  as  the  National  Cov- 
enants of  Scotland  and  England — it  is  certain  that 
the  Presbyterians  of  Mecklenburg  were  in  advance 
of  Congress  and  in  advance  of  the  rest  of  the 
coantry  in  proclaiming  "the  inherent  and  inalien- 
able rights  of  man/'  and  that  the  historian  Ban- 
croft was  right  in  stating  that  "  the  first  voice  pub- 


330  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

licly  raised  in  America  to  dissolve  all  connection 
with  Great  Britain  came  from  the  Scotch-Irish 
Presbyterians." 

The  Presbyterians  of  Western  Pennsylvania,  as- 
sembled at  Hanna's  Town,  May,  1776,  after  express- 
ing sympathy  for  their  Massachusetts  brethren,  and 
their  abhorrence  of  the  system  of  tyranny  which 
England  was  attempting  to  enforce  upon  them, 
resolved,  that  it  was  "the  indispensable  duty  of 
every  man  who  has  any  public  virtue  or  love  for 
his  country,  by  every  means  which  God  has  put 
in  his  power,  to  resist  and  oppose  this  oppression; 
and  as  for  us,  we  are  ready  to  oppose  it  with  our 
lives  and  fortunes." 

A  similar  spirit  was  shown  by  the  freemen  of 
Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  who  were  among 
the  first  to  conclude  "  that  the  safety  and  welfare 
of  the  colonies  did  render  separation  from  the 
mother-country  necessary."  Their  sentiments  were 
embodied  in  a  memorial  presented  to  the  assembly 
of  the  province,  May  28,  1776,  in  which  they  say: 
"  If  those  who  rule  in  Britain  will  not  permit  the 
colonies  to  be  free  and  happy  in  connection  with 
that  kingdom,  it  becomes  their  duty  to  secure  and 
promote  their  freedom  and  happiness  in  the  best 
manner  they  can  without  that  connection."  This, 
and  other  considerations,  "induced  us  to  petition 
this  honorable  house  that  the  last  instructions 
which  it  gave  to  the  delegates  in  Congress,  where- 
in  they   are   enjoined   not  to  consent  to  any  step 


PATRIOTISM   OF  PRE8B  V  777.7.1  Av        33J 

which  may  cause  or  lead  to  a  separation  from 
Great  Britain,  may  be  withdrawn" 

Besides  expressing  the  present  convictions  of  the 
people  under  their  new  and  changed  circumstances, 
the  memorial  shows  that  the  citizens  of  the  county, 
who  were  at  the  time  almost  exclusively  Scotch 
and  Scotch-Irish,  were  in  advance  of  their  repre- 
sentatives in  the  assembly  and  in  Congress.  These 
were  brave  words,  but  they  were  followed  by  equal- 
ly brave  deeds  when  the  call  was  made  upon  them 
to  meet  the  enemies  of  their  country. 

The  presbytery  of  Hanover  presented  a  memo- 
rial to  the  legislature  of  Virginia  in  1776,  in  which, 
as  will  be  seen,  an  earnest  devotion  to  the  cause  of 
independence  was  expressed:  "Your  memorialists 
are  governed  by  the  same  sentiments  which  have 
inspired  the  United  States  of  America,  and  are 
determined  that  nothing  in  our  power  or  influence 
shall  be  wanting  to  give  success  to  their  common 
cause.  We  would  also  represent  that  dissenters 
from  the  Church  of  England  in  this  country  have 
ever  been  desirous  to  conduct  themselves  as  peace- 
able members  of  the  civil  government,  for  which 
reason  they  have  hitherto  submitted  to  several  eccle- 
siastical burdens  and  restrictions  that  are  inconsist- 
ent with  equal  liberty.  But  now,  when  the  many 
and  grievous  oppressions  of  our  mother-country 
have  laid  this  continent  wider  the  necessity  of  cast- 
ing off  the  yoke  of  tyranny,  and  of  forming  inde- 
pendent government*     upon    equitable    and    literal 


332  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

foundations,  we  flatter  ourselves  we  shall  be  freed 
from  all  the  encumbrances  which  a  spirit  of  domi- 
nation, prejudice  or  bigotry  hath  interwoven  with 
our  political  systems." 

Further  testimony  of  the  same  kind  might  be 
adduced  were  it  necessary.  But  it  is  indisputable 
that  Presbyterians  were  the  first  to  combine  in 
resistance  of  the  arbitrary  acts  of  England,  and 
made  the  first  practical  declaration  of  independ- 
ence in  America. 

Throughout  the  entire  period  of  the  war  with 
Great  Britain,  the  Presbyterian  ministry  bore  a 
conspicuous  and  honored  part.  Their  superior 
culture,  the  respect  and  the  affection  in  which  they 
were  held  by  their  people,  their  well-known  princi- 
ples and  patriotism,  and  their  resolute  and  unflinch- 
ing courage, — all  combined  to  make  them  leaders. 
They  not  only  taught  their  people  the  duty  of  re- 
sisting oppression  in  every  form,  but  many  of  them, 
by  example  as  well  as  precept,  encouraged  the 
members  of  their  churches  to  take  up  arms  in 
defence  of  their  country.  And  when  disasters 
came  upon  the  American  army,  and  the  future 
of  the  cause  appeared  dark  and  forbidding,  they 
inspired  their  fellow-citizens  with  fresh  courage, 
and  with  confidence  in  the  God  of  nations.  Many 
served  as  chaplains  in  the  army,  not  a  few  as  sol- 
diers and  officers,  while  others  were  of  equal  ser- 
vice in  State  and  national  councils ;  and  others 
still   placed   their   property   and   their    lives  upon 


PATRIOTISM   OF  PRESBYTERIANS.        333 

the  altar  of  tlioir  country  with  a  devotion  rarely 
paralleled. 

The  sympathy  and  services  of  the  Presbyterian 
clergy  were  so  universally  on  the  side  of  the  col- 
onists that  there  is  danger  of  appearing  invidious 
in  any  endeavor  to  point  out  those  who  were  prom- 
inent and  influential  advocates  of  the  cause  of  lib- 
erty in  the  pulpit  and  in  legislative  halls,  and 
who  by  their  example  as  well  as  by  their  words 
greatly  aided  the  patriots  fighting  the  battles  of 
their  country. 

Dr.  Witherspoon,  of  Princeton,  stands  in  the 
front  rank  of  those  who  rendered  eminent  service 
in  establishing  a  free  government.  He  was  a  lineal 
descendant  of  John  Knox,  and,  like  the  celebrated 
Scotch  Reformer,  was  fitted  to  be  a  great  leader 
among  men.  He  was  almost  equally  eminent  as  a 
scholar,  a  theologian,  an  orator,  teacher,  author  and 
financier;  and  in  all  these  relations  he  reflected 
honor  upon  his  adopted  country.  Immediately  on 
his  arrival  in  America  he  identified  himself  with 
the  colonial  cause,  and  in  the  ensuing  struggle 
with  England  his  powerful  advocacy  of  the  rights 
of  the  colonists  placed  him  by  the  side  of  Jefferson 
and  Franklin,  and  the  other  noble  defenders  of 
freedom. 

From  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution  he 
was  a  member  of  the  various  committees  and 
conventions  whose  object  was  to  obtain  redress 
from   the  king   of  the    evils   the   people    endured. 


334  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

In  1776  h3  was  a  member  of  the  New  Jersey  con- 
vention tint  formed  its  republican  constitution,  and 
the  same  year  took  his  seat  in  the  Continental 
Congress,  in  which  he  helped  frame  the  Decla- 
ration of  our  rights,  and  to  which  he  affixed  his 
name,  "  appealing  to  his  God  for  the  approval  of 
his  act,  and  to  the  world  for  the  justice  of  the  cause 
he  espoused."  And  he  urged  the  other  delegates, 
some  of  whom  were  hesitating,  to  take  the  same 
patriotic  stand.  "  That  noble  instrument  upon 
your  table,"  said  he,  "  which  ensures  immortality 
to  its  author,  should  be  subscribed  this  very  morn- 
ing by  every  pen  in  the  house.  He  that  will  not 
respond  to  its  accents,  and  strain  every  nerve  to 
carry  into  effect  its  provisions,  is  unworthy  the 
name  of  a  freeman.  For  my  own  part,  of  property 
I  have  some,  of  reputation  more.  That  reputation 
is  staked,  that  property  is  pledged,  on  the  issue  of 
this  contest.  And  although  these  gray  hairs  must 
soon  descend  into  the  sepulchre,  I  would  infinitely 
rather  they  should  descend  thither  by  the  hands  of 
the  public  executioner  than  desert  at  this  crisis  the 
sacred  cause  of  my  country."*  He  remained  a 
member  of  Congress  until  1782,  with  the  exception 
of  one  year,  and  contributed  perhaps  as  largely  as 
any  other  one  man  to  the  success  of  the  patriot- 
cause.  His  labors  were  incessant,  his  industry  un- 
tiring, his  perseverance  unyielding,  and  his  patriot- 
ism fervid,  and  as  pure  as  the  crystal  fountain. 
*  Eev.  r>r.  Krebs,  as  quoted  in  vol.  i.  Southern  Review. 


PATRIOTISM   OF  PRESBYTERIANS.       836 

Most  of  the  measures  he  proposed  in  Congress  were 
either  at  the  fcjne  or  subsequently  adopted. 

His  influence  in  the  legislative  hall  was  deserv- 
edly great,  for  he  had  a  mind  that  was  able  to  grasp 
and  expound  the  principles  of  government.  His 
perceptions  were  clear  and  his  judgment  acute;  and 
when  he  spoke  he  was  listened  to  with  the  utmost 
interest,  and  his  clear  and  strong  reasoning  rarely 
failed  to  secure  the  conviction  of  his  hearers. 
Several  eloquent  appeals,  recommending  the  people 
to  observe  days  of  public  fasting  and  prayer,  were 
from  his  able  pen.  "  Few  men  acted  with  more 
energy  and  promptitude;  few  appeared  to  be  en- 
riched with  greater  political  wisdom  ;  few  enjoyed 
a  greater  share  of  public  confidence;  few  accom- 
plished more  for  the  country  than  he  did  in  the 
sphere  in  which  he  was  called  to  act.  In  the  most 
gloomy  and  formidable  aspect  of  public  affairs  he 
was  always  firm,  discovering  the  greatest  reach  and 
presence  of  mind  in  the  most  embarrassing  situa- 
tions." 

Worthy  allies  of  Dr.  Witherspoon,  and  only 
less  celebrated,  were  Dr.  Patrick  Allison  of  Bal- 
timore, pronounced  the  ablest  statesman  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  an  earnest  defender  of  his 
country's  cause,  and  one  of  the  committee  of  the 
Assembly  of  1789  to  draft  an  address  to  President 
Washington;  William  Tennent  of  Charleston,  a 
member  of  the  provincial  congress  of  South  Car- 
olina, and  appointed  by  the  committee  of  safety  to 


336  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

arouse  the  people  in  behalf  of  independence ;  George 
Duffield  of  Philadelphia,  chaplain  of  the  Colonial 
Congress,  and  often  consulted  on  public  questions 
by  civil  and  military  officers ;  and  Dr.  John  Rogers 
of  New  York,  one  of  the  council  of  safety,  and 
chaplain  in  the  war,  first  of  Heath's  brigade,  then 
of  the  convention  of  the  State. 

In  Pennsylvania  were  John  Carmichael,  who 
before  the  military  on  several  occasions  preached 
by  request  a  sermon  on  "  the  lawfulness  of  self-de- 
fence," which  exerted  a  great  influence ;  John  Craig- 
head, who  raised  a  company  from  the  members  of 
his  congregation,  serving  as  captain  and  chaplain, 
and  who  is  said  to  have  "  fought  and  preached 
alternately;"  Dr.  James  Latta,  who  to  encourage 
his  people  shouldered  his  knapsack  and  accom- 
panied them  on  their  campaign  ;  Dr.  Robert  Da- 
vidson, who  by  his  patriotic  sermons  before  mili- 
tary companies  inspired  the  soldiers  with  courage 
and  fortitude;  Dr.  William  Linn,  chaplain,  who 
was  present  at  the  taking  of  Fort  Washington;  Dr. 
Robert  Cooper,  who  "  bore  arms,  marched  and  coun- 
termarched through  the  Jerseys  on  foot  so  long  as 
he  was  able ;"  John  Elder,  a  colonel  in  the  colonial 
service;  John  Steele,  who  served  as  captain,  "and  led 
the  advance  company  of  nine  hundred  men  in  their 
march  to  the  seat  of  war,  and  often  preached  with 
his  gun  standing  by  his  side;"  John  Rosbrugh, 
first  a  private  soldier,  then  a  chaplain,  and  who  was 
killed  in  cold  blood  by  the  Hessians;  Dr.  John 


PATRIOTISM   OF  PRESBYTERIANS.         337 

Kin*!;,  eminent  for  his  patriotic  zeal,  doing  duty 
as  a  chaplain,  and  by  his  many  addresses  increasing 
the  devotion  of  the  people  to  their  country's  cause. 

In  New  Jersey  were  Dr.  Alexander  McWhorter, 
who  was  appointed  by  Congress  in  177o  to  visit 
North  Carolina  to  promote  independence  among  the 
people  ;  who  was  afterward  at  the  battle  of  Trenton, 
and  at  General  Knox's  request  acted  as  chaplain 
while  our  army  lay  at  White  Plains;  Dr.  Asa 
Hillyer  of  Orange,  who  assisted  his  father  as  sur- 
geon in  the  army;  James  Caldwell,  chaplain  of 
the  Jersey  brigade  and  assistant  commissary-gen- 
eral, in  which  position  his  services  were  very  val- 
uable, who  had  a  price  set  upon  his  head,  and  who 
was  subsequently  killed  by  the  enemy;  James  F. 
Armstrong  of  Elizabeth  town,  "chaplain  of  the  Sec- 
ond brigade  of  the  Maryland  forces;"  John  Miller 
of  Dover,  bold  in  the  expression  of  his  freedom- 
loving  views,  preaching  to  his  people  prior  to  the 
Declaration  of  Independence  from  the  text,  "  We 
have  no  part  in  David,  nor  any  inheritance  in  the 
son  of  Jesse;  to  your  tents,  O  Israel!"  Dr.  Ash- 
bel  Green,  an  orderly  sergeant  in  the  war,  risking 
his  life  repeatedly  in  defence  of  his  country;  and 
Dr.  Elihu  Spencer  of  Trenton,  who  was  conspicu- 
ously engaged  on  the  side  of  the  patriots,  and  em- 
ployed by  the  provincial  congress  of  North  Caro- 
lina to  convince  some  of  her  colonists  of  the  jus- 
tice of  the  American   cause. 

In  Virginia  were  Dr.  John  Brown,  who  u  fought 

22 


338  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

with  intrepid  spirit  by  the  side  of  Sumter,"  and 
was  afterward  president  of  Georgia  University ; 
William  Graham,  who  encouraged  the  members  of 
his  congregation  to  enlist,  and  served  as  a  captain ; 
John  Brown  and  Archibald  Scott,  neighboring  pas- 
tors, who  entered  warmly  into  the  American  cause, 
and  exhorted  their  people  to  fight  for  their  freedom  ; 
Dr.  James  Waddell,  who  was  one  of  the  first  and 
most  earnest  vindicators  of  liberty  from  the  pulpit ; 
Dr.  Moses  Hoge,  who  served  for  a  time,  previous  to 
entering  the  ministry,  in  the  army  of  the  Revolu- 
tion ;  and  Dr.  John  Blair  Smith,  who  was  an  active 
patriot  and  captain  of  a  company  of  students  of 
Hampden-Sidney  College,  of  which  he  was  pres- 
ident. 

In  the  Carol inas  were  Alexander  Craighead,  who, 
though  not  living  to  see  the  clash  of  arms,  "  sowed 
the  seeds  of  the  Mecklenburg  Declaration  •"  Dr. 
David  Caldwell,  a  distinguished  patriot  and  edu- 
cator, and  member  of  the  convention  that  formed 
the  State  constitution  of  North  Carolina,  and  had 
his  library  burned  by  the  enemy;  Henry  Patillo, 
a  valuable  member  of  the  provincial  congress  of 
North  Carolina,  and  active  in  carrying  on  the 
war  against  the  enemy ;  Hugh  McAden,  who  suf- 
fered the  loss  of  all  his  property  by  the  enemy  ; 
Dr.  James  Hall,  a  commander  and  chaplain  ;  Dr. 
Francis  Cummins,  a  Mecklenburg  patriot,  who 
fought  in  several  engagements ;  John  Simpson,  who 
encouraged   his   people  to  deeds  of  heroism,  and 


PATRIOTISM   OF   PRESBYTERIANS        338 

was  himself  in  several  battles;  James  White  Ste- 
phenson, who  served  throughout  the  war,  and  had 
his  gun  shivered  in  his  hand  by  the  enemy's  shut; 
Joseph  Alexander,  a  fugitive  from  his  home,  which 
was  n>vd  by  the  patriots  as  a  hospital  for  their  Biok 
and  wounded;  Lewis  F.  Wilson,  who  served  for 
many  years  as  surgeon  in  the  Continental  army, 
having  studied  medicine  previous  to  entering  the 
pulpit;  Dr.  Thomas  PI.  McCaule, a  zealous  patriot, 
who  was  by  the  side  of  General  Davidson  when  he 
was  shot  by  a  Tory;  and  Adam  Boyd,  one  of  the 
earliest  friends  of  liberty,  chaplain  of  the  State  bri- 
gade, editor  of  the  Cape  Fear  Mercury,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  committee  of  safety  of  North  Carolina. 

These  were  some  of  the  more  prominent  advo- 
cates and  defenders  of  the  independence  of  their 
country.  Whether  engaged  in  preaching  to  their 
own  congregations,  or  addressing  public  assemblies, 
or  deliberating  in  legislative  halls,  or  serving  in 
the  army  as  officers  or  soldiers  or  chaplains,  they 
were  known  as  earnest,  active  patriots,  who  fear- 
lessly had  committed  themselves  on  the  side  of 
freedom.* 

::'  Though  the  Scotch  and  Scotch-Irish  colonists  were  in  point 
of  numbers  relatively  small  as  compared  with  the  entire  pop  il- 
lation of  the  country,  yet  they  furnished  a  great  many  of  the 
general  army  officers.  At  this  late  day  anything  like  a  full 
or  accurate  designation  is  impossible,  owing  to  the  tact  thai  in 
the  biographical  sketches  of  these  nun  very  frequently  there  is 
no  mention  made  of  their  nationality.  Enough,  however,  can 
be  traced  to  justify  the  assertion  thai  the    Presbyterian  colonists 


MO  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

With  the  exhibition  of  such  patriotic  zeal  and 
devotion  as  was  evinced  by  the  clergy,  we  may  be 
sure  that  the  elders  and  members  of  their  churches 
stood  in  the  front  rank  of  battle  when  their  country 
needed  defenders.  From  the  investigations  we 
have  made,  we  are  persuaded  that,  could  the  facts 
be  properly  presented,  they  would  be  as  surpris- 
ing to  most  persons  as  they  would  be  honorable  to 
the  Presbyterian  Church.  In  confirmation  of  this 
remark,  our  space  will  permit  of  but  two  illustra- 
tions. 

In  one  county  of  Pennsylvania,  settled  almost 
exclusively  by  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians,  it  is  on 
record  in  the  State  papers  that  fourteen  days  after 
the  battle  of  Lexington  over  three  thousand  men 
had  already  united    in   military  organizations,  fif- 

were  conspicuous  and  able  and  brave  in  the  battles  of  the  Rev- 
olution. 

Of  major-generals  we  may  refer  to  Anthony  Wayne,  John 
Stark,  Hugh  Mercer,  Thomas  Sumter,  Henry  Knox,  William 
Alexander  (Lord  Stirling),  Alexander  McDowell,  Richard 
Montgomery,  John  Sullivan  and  William  Moultrie.  Of  gen- 
erals, to  Daniel  Morgan,  John  Beatty,  Francis  Marion,  Grif- 
fith Rutherford,  George  Graham,  William  Irvine,  John  Moore, 
Charles  Stewart,  John  Armstrong,  William  Davidson,  Joseph 
Graham,  Isaac  Hughes,  Andrew  Pickens,  Arthur  St.  Clair  and 
Joseph  Reed.  Of  brigadier-generals,  to  John  Armstrong, 
Jr.,  Jethro  Sumner,  Matthias  Ogden,  Otho  H.  Williams,  Ste- 
phen Moylan,  Francis  Nash,  Flias  Dayton,  Edward  Hand, 
Andrew  Lewis,  Lachlan  Mcintosh,  William  Thomson,  Andrew 
Porter,  James  Moore  and  William  Macpherson.  Of  colonels 
and  of  other  subordinate  officers  we  attempt  no  enumeration, 
as  in  point  of  numbers  they  were  almost  legion. 


PATRIOTISM   of  PRESBYTERIANS.       341 

toon  hundred  stand  of  arms  had  been  returned,  and 
that  delegates  from   the  different  precincts  of  the 

county  had  met  in  convention  and  voted  thai  five 
hundred  effective  men  should  be  at  once  armed  and 
equipped  to  march  on  the  first  emergency,  and  to 
be  paid  by  a  tax  on  all  estates,  real  and  personal,  m 
the  county.  Reinforcements  for  the  army  con- 
tinued to  be  sent  forward  as  the  public  exigences 
of  the  war  required,  so  that  by  its  close  "almost 
every  man  able  to  carry  arms  had  been  in  the 
military  service  of  his  country."  And  while  the-.' 
volunteer  forces,  in  such  surprising  numbers,  were 
marching  to  battle,  there  were  already  in  the  Con- 
tinental army  a  great  many  officers  and  soldiers 
from  this  county  who  had  joined  it  the  previous 
"year.  These  patriots  very  generally  selected  their 
own  officers,  and  as  a  rule  were  commanded  by 
their  loved  pastors,  or  the  elders  of  the  churches 
to  which  they  belonged,  who  cheerfully  encountered 
with  the  common  soldiers  the  privations  incident  to 
an  active  campaign. 

To  give  proper  weight  to  the  patriotism  here 
displayed,  it  should  be  known  that  this  was  a 
frontier  county,  with  a  comparatively  sparse  popu- 
lation, the  people  poor  and  obliged  to  defend  them- 
selves from  the  Indian  savages,  who  were  instigated 
by  the  enemy  to  commit  deeds  of  violence  and  to 
murder  the  unprotected   inhabitants. 

The  other  illustration  of  the  military  services 
rendered    by   Presbyterians    in  the    Revolutionary 


342  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

struggle  we  take  from  a  widely  separated  part  of 
the  country.  Referring  to  the  war  in  South  Caro- 
lina, Rev.  Dr.  Smith  writes:  "  The  battles  of  the 
Cowpens,  of  King's  Mountain,  and  also  the  severe 
skirmish  known  as  Huck's  defeat,  are  celebrated  as 
giving  a  turning  point  to  the  contests  of  the  Revo- 
lution. General  Morgan,  who  commanded  at  the 
Cowpens,  and  General  Pickens,  who  made  all  the 
arrangements  for  the  battle,  were  both  Presby- 
terian elders,  and  nearly  all  under  their  command 
were  Presbyterians.  In  the  battle  of  King's 
Mountain,  Colonels  Campbell,  Williams,  Cleve- 
land, Shelby  and  Sevier,  as  also  Colonel  Hamilton 
and  Major  James,  were  all  Presbyterian  elders,  and 
the  body  of  their  troops  were  collected  from  Pres- 
byterian settlements.  At  Huck's  defeat,  in  York, 
Colonel  Bratten  and  Major  Dickson  were  both 
Presbyterian  elders.  Major  Samuel  Morrow,  who 
was  with  Colonel  Sumter  in  four  engagements  and 
in  many  other  battles,  was  for  fifty  years  a  ruling 
elder  in  the  Presbyterian  Church." 

Thousands  of  others  identified  with  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  either  as  office-bearers  or  private 
members,  freely  risked  their  lives  in  defence  of 
their  country,  and  many  of  them  sealed  their  devo- 
tion to  it  with  their  blood.  As  descendant*  of  those 
heroic  men  who  so  successfully  resisted  oppression 
in  all  its  forms  in  the  Old  World,  they,  in  the  hour 
that  tries  men's  souls,  proved  themselves  not  un- 
worthy of  their   lineage,  and    it  was  because  the 


PATRIOTISM   OF  PRESBYTERIANS.       343 

American  Presbyterian  Church  contained  within  it 
such  elements  as  tlnsc  that  it  was  able  to  take  the 
patriotic  stand  it  did  in  establishing  a  free  repub- 
lican form  of  government.* 

After  the  part  taken  by  Presbyterians  in  achiev- 
ing the  independence  t  of  the  colonies,  it  would  have 
been  strange  if  many  of  them  had  not  been  called 
into  the  civil  service  of  their  country.  This  was  the 
fact,  but  our  limits  will  only  permit  the  mention 
of  a  few  of  the  more  distinguished  of  the  number. 

General  Moultrie  of  South  Carolina  was  twice 
governor  of  that  State  subsequent  to  the  war ; 
General  Joseph  Reed  served  in  Congress,  and  was 
thrice  governor  of  Pennsylvania ;  General  Sullivan 
was  president  of  New  Hampshire  for  three  years; 
General  Henry  Knox  was  selected  as  secretary  of 
war;  General  Sumter,  member  of  Congress,  min- 
ister to  Brazil  and  senator  from  South  Carolina; 
Governor  Clinton,  elected  vice-president;    Patrick 

\-  the  Puritans  of  England  were  for  a  long  time  unques- 
tionably  Presbyterians,  Robinson's  church  ;it  Leyden  having 
the  same  government  as  the  Protestant  churches  of  Prance,  and 
as  not  less  than  from  twenty  to  thirty  thousand  Presbyterians 
from  t lie  north  of  Ireland  entered  New  England  at  an  early 
period  and  united  with  tin-  churehes  already  established,  and 
that  were  so  similarly  constituted  to  those  thej  had  Left,  Presby- 
terians should  he  credited  with  no  "insignificant  nhare  of  the 
splendid  patriotism  displayed  by  New  England  in  tli-  Revolu- 
tion." 

f  Of  the  fifty-six  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
we  recognize  at  least  fifteen  of  them  as  having  been  of  eithei 
Scotch,  Irish  or  Huguenot  ancef  I 


344  SCOTCH  AND   IRISH  SEEDS. 

Henry,  appointed  secretary  of  state  and  minister 
to  France,  which  posts  of  honor  lie  declined,  and 
was  elected  governor  of  Virginia;  Robert  R.  Liv- 
ingston, minister  to  France;  General  Morgan,  a 
member  of  Congress  from  1797  to  1799;  Richard 
Stockton,  member  of  the  Continental  Congress, 
and  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence ;  General  Stewart,  a  member  of  Con- 
gress in  1784-85;  Samuel  Spencer,  judge  of  the 
Superior  Court  of  North  Carolina  ;  General  Wil- 
liam Irvine,  member  of  the  committee  on  the  war, 
and  afterward  in  Congress — a  judicious  statesman 
and  zealous  patriot ;  James  Wilson,  representative 
in  Congress,  who  gave  the  casting  vote  in  the  Penn- 
sylvania delegation  for  independence,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  war  committee;  John  Meheling,  member 
of  the  provincial  congress  of  New  Jersey,  1775,  and 
quartermaster-general ;  Alexander  Martin,  gov- 
enor  of  North  Carolina  and  senator;  General 
Anthony  Wayne,  a  member  of  the  committee  of 
safety  of  Pennsylvania;  General  John  Armstrong, 
member  of  Congress;  Thomas  McKean,  member 
of  Congress  from  1774  to  1783,  and  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Pennsylvania;  Richard  Cas- 
well, governor  of  North  Carolina  and  president  of 
the  convention  that  framed  the  State  constitution  ; 
Hon.  William  Killen,  chancellor  of  the  State  of 
Delaware;  George  Read,  signer  of  the  Declaration 
of  Independence,  and  honored  with  many  civil  ap- 
pointments; George  Bryan,  judge  of  the  Supreme 


PATRIOTISM   OF  IRESBYTERIANS,        346 

Court,  and  author  of  the  plan  to  abolish  slavery  in 

Pennsylvania  ;  John  Montgomery,  member  of  ( !on- 

and  of  the  committee  of  safety  of  Pennsyl- 

nia;  John  Byers,  member  of  the  supreme  exec- 
utive council  of  Pennsylvania;  Andrew  Porter, 
surveyor-general  of  Pennsylvania,  and  declined  the 
office  of  secretary  of  war;  and  John  Armstrong, 
Jr.,  a  member  of  General  Gates'  staff,  and  after- 
ward   ambassador  to  France  and  secretary  of  war. 

We  forbear  further  mention  of  those  who  sat  in 
the  legislative  halls  of  the  nation,  or  were  elevated 
to  positions  of  honor  and  great  responsibility.  Our 
object  has  been  merely  to  show  that  these  men,  and 
those  of  like  lineage  and  spirit,  enjoyed  the  confi- 
dence of  their  fellow-citizens,  and  were  chosen  by 
them  to  frame,  expound  and  administer  the  laws 
and  government  of  a  free  people. 

Thus  called  into  the  councils  of  the  nation  for 
the  purpose  of  settling  the  forms  of  our  govern- 
ment, it  is  not  surprising  that  Presbyterians  should 
seek  to  introduce  into  the  Constitution  the  simple 
elements  of  representative  republicanism  contained 
in  their  own  loved  system.  From  the  remarkable 
similarity  between  the  constitution  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  and  the  political  Constitution  of  our 
country,  it  is  evident  that  the  former  gave  charac- 
ter to  our  free  institutions.  "The  trainers  of  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States"  ±<\y*  Chief-Jus- 
tice Tilghman,  "  were  greatly  indebted  to  the  stand- 
ards of  the  Presbyterian  Church   of  Scotland    in 


346  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

modeling  that  admirable  instrument."  So,  too, 
Hon.  W.  C.  Preston  of  South  Carolina  states: 
"  Certainly  it  was  the  most  remarkable  and  sin- 
gular coincidence  that  the  constitution  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  should  bear  such  a  close  and  strik- 
ing resemblance  to  the  political  Constitution  of  our 
country.  This  may  be  regarded  as  an  earnest  of 
our  beloved  national  Union.  .  .  .  The  two  may 
be  supposed  to  be  formed  after  the  same  model ." 
Nor  is  this  to  be  wondered  at  when  we  recall  the 
agency  which  Dr.  Witherspoon,  the  embodiment  of 
Presbyterianism,  had  in  framing  and  adopting  that 
instrument,  and  the  valuable  services  which  so 
many  other  distinguished  members  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  rendered  in  establishing  a  con- 
stitutional, representative  republic. 

The  elements  of  civil  and  religious  liberty  thus 
happily  embodied  in  the  Constitution  did  not 
spring,  Minerva-like,  from  the  brain  of  any  one 
individual,  but  were  the  results  of  years  of  perse- 
cution, conflict  and  suffering  endured  by  God's 
people  in  behalf  of  freedom  in  the  Old  World. 
And  just  so  far  as  our  Presbyterian  fathers  had 
shared  in  these  struggles  against  religious  and  po- 
litical tyranny,  and  so  far  as  their  descendants  had 
imbibed  the  spirit  and  shared  the  opinions  of  their 
worthy  ancestry,  were  they  prepared  to  take  a  lead- 
ing part  as  founders  of  new  States. 

Presbyterians,  while  lovers  of  liberty  in  the  Old 
World,  were  not  anarchists.     While  they  resisted 


PATRIOTISM  OF  PRESBYTERIANS.       347 

the  establishment  of  a  monarchy  on  the  basis  of 

non-resistance  and  passive  obedience,  they  desired 
a  constitutional  government,  with  proper  restraints 
on  the  royal  authority  and  proper  guarantees  for 
the  people  in  their  religious  worship.  They  clearly 
perceived  the  province  and  duties  of  the  civil 
magistrate,  and  so  long  as  he  used  his  office  to  pro- 
mote the  welfare  of  his  people  he  was  to  be  re- 
spected and  obeyed  ;  but  when  he  assumed  the  pre- 
rogatives of  a  spiritual  ruler,  and  sought  to  bring 
the  Church  into  bondage  to  the  State,  and  deprive 
it  of  the  rights  and  jurisdiction  with  which  it  was 
entrusted  by  Christ,  his  claims  were  to  be  denied. 
The  temporal  power  of  the  civil  ruler  and  the 
spiritual  power  of  the  Church  they  insisted  should 
be  separate,  but  harmonious  ;  but  when  the  former 
enjoins  what  the  Head  of  the  Church  forbids,  then 
God  rather  than  the  sovereign  was  to  be  obeyed. 
If  they  yielded  their  civil  rights,  their  bitter  ex- 
perience in  the  past  had  taught  them  that  spiritual 
despotism  was  sure  to  follow.  For  no  sooner  was 
the  arbitrary  will  of  the  monarch  supported  by  an 
obsequious  Parliament,  accepted  as  superior  to  the 
hereditary  rights  of  the  people,  than  Episcopal 
prelates,  adopting  the  policy  of  Rome,  immediate- 
ly began  to  assume  lordship  over  their  consciences. 
The  danger  to  which  they  were  thus  exposed  they 
were  quick  to  discern,  and  they  met  it  with  promp- 
titude and  calm  decision.  And  it  was  their  clear 
perception  of  these  important  principles  that  caused 


348  SCOTCH  AND  IRISH  SEEDS. 

them  to  cling  to  them  with  such  tenacity  of  purpose 
and  led  them  to  make  the  great  sacrifices  they  did 
of  ease,  property,  and  life  itself.  In  the  hardships 
of  persecution  they  learned  to  prize  more  than 
ever  the  privileges  and  truths  of  their  simple  and 
scriptural  faith,  and  so,  that  they  and  their  descend- 
ants in  America  might  enjoy  the  same  inestimable 
blessings,  they  were  ready  to  lay  all  they  had  upon 
the  altar  of  their  adopted  country,  and  resist,  even 
unto  death,  every  attempt  to  deprive  them  of 
their  religious  or  civil  liberty. 


THE   END. 


COLUMBIA   UNIVERSITY   LIBRARIES 

This  book  is  due  on  the  date  indicated  below,  or  at  the 
expiration  of  a  definite  period  after  the  date  of  borrowing,  as 
provided  by  the  library  rules  or  by  special  arrangement  with 
the  Librarian  in  charge. 


DATE  BORROWED 

DATE  DUE 

DATE  BORROWED 

"— ~ ' 

DATE  DUE 

C28  (1149)   IOOM 

COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARIES 
III  I  I  I    I 


0068424124 


959.  a 


C84 


n 
© 


t^ 


# 


n  jo 


u 

r 

—4 

o 


i 
m 


m 
m 

asni 


m 

I 


n 

1 


11111 


Mawis 


IBP        mm 


